Sèvres: the useful and the delightful
A hundred decorative drawings and some porcelain products from the well-known French factory and from French and Italian museums.
This exhibition is based around production in the period 1800-1847, when Alexandre Brongniart was Production Manager at Sèvres.
An important figure in the factory from 1800 onwards, Brongniart played a vital role in the company's renaissance in the years immediately after the Revolution, putting the manufacturing process back on its feet again, rebuilding the finances and restoring the factory to its former glory.
Thanks to Brongniart's administration, manufacturing continued to wield enormous influence in Europe for the whole of the 19th century.
The exhibition is divided into a number of different historical sections (The Napoleonic Period; The Restoration; The July Monarchy) which illustrate the fascinating development of a production period which still today is the symbol of unattainable artistic perfection.
The history of Sèvres is linked to the court of Louis XV and to the name of Madame de Pompadour (whence the famous rose Pompadour which is the hallmark of a number of pieces), and its many extraordinary episodes have always been inextricably linked to the history of France.
Its most splendid moment was during the reign of Louis XV and Louis XVI while it experienced a temporary standstill during the Revolutionary period, until it was "rescued", at the beginning of the 19th century, by Brongniart.
The "Golden Age" was responsible for the magnificent dinner-services for Versailles, not to mention gifts for dignitaries in all the most important European courts, including those for the King of Denmark, Empress Maria Teresa of Austria and Catherine II of Russia.
Patronage was always of the highest rank and the magnificent statuettes, dinner-sets and porcelain protraits were all carried out by an élite band of skilled painters, sculptors, chemists and scholars.
The creation of an object requires the simultaneous presence of a number of craftsmen and it is for this reason that some of the pieces in the exhibition are accompanied by original preparatory sketches signed by some of the most important artists of the time.
There is a video available to illustrate the continuity of the great Sèvres tradition, which is still alive today in the same 18th century buildings.
It is also possible to see raw material at closehand, the tools of the trade and the palettes with colours which were typical in each of the periods.
An entertaining educational workshop, free of charge, called "Make your own breakfast mug" is available on Saturdays and Sundays and guides children through the various stages of creation; each young participant can make his or her own decoration, just like the famous artists down through the ages.
