SÈVRES

Rare Wedgwood-style blue and white cookie group, depicting Cupid holding an arrow in his right hand, left arm raised, seated on a typical Consulat-period armchair decorated with white swans, circular base. Cracks and chips. Manufacture royale de Sèvres, circa 1826. Engraved mark on the back "Mas 31 a(oû)t 26" by the sculptor Jean-Etienne Mascret (active between 1806 and 1848). H. 16.5 x D. 14.3 cm. Related works - Josephine's boudoir furniture at the Palais de Saint-Cloud, 1804. - Furniture for Caroline Murat's silver boudoir at the Palais de l'Elysée, 1806. History This furniture, and in particular the armchairs, designed by the architect Percier, are among the most original creations of the Empire period. The swan's forebody, which he used as an armrest, gives the armchair a graceful shape that has since been associated with the memory of Josephine. Indeed, in 1803, Empress Josephine was the first to acclimatize black swans in captivity on her Malmaison estate, a species previously unknown in Europe. However, the shape of the swan's body and the suppleness of its neck simply inspired its creators: brought into fashion as early as 1798 by the architect Berthault, who used it to decorate Mme Récamier's bed, the swan theme is also found on the armchairs, still in place, in Caroline Murat's silver boudoir at the Elysée Palace.