213 - POLYCHROME PORCELAIN SOUP BOWL WITH MATCHING PLATE, MEISSEN MANUFACTORY, approximately 1763–1774 (2)

POLYCHROME PORCELAIN SOUP BOWL WITH MATCHING PLATE, MEISSEN MANUFACTORY, approximately 1763–1774 (2) with a double handle and an undulating shape, decorated with birds in a treillage pattern; one crack, minimal wear Manufacturer’s marks Total height 29 cm, tray width 49 cm MEISSEN PORCELAIN SOUP TUREEN AND TRAY, approximately 1763–1774; WITH A CRACK, SLIGHTLY WORN (2) This soup tureen (and its elegant accompanying plate) are based on models produced at Vincennes-Sèvres based on designs by Jean-Claude Duplessis, artistic director of the royal manufactory from 1748 until his death in 1774. The models in question here date to the early 1750s and were produced with continued success until nearly the end of the 18th century. Derived from silverware prototypes, these porcelain pieces are distinguished by the elaborate and almost sculptural appearance of their forms; it is interesting to note that they appear in the Sèvres records labeled ‘Saxe,’ indicating a connection to the famous Baroque services of Meissen (T. Preaud, *Porcelaine de Vincennes*, exhibition catalog, Paris 1977, p. 80). Our porcelain pieces, of remarkable craftsmanship, are an emblematic example of the great influence that Sèvres exerted on the modelers at the Saxon manufactory after the Seven Years’ War: an influence that also led to results of considerable interest, as in the case of this soup tureen and its tray, where the robust forms blend elegantly with the sophisticated Louis XVI-style decoration featuring birds and trelliswork.