211 - SÈVRES PORCELAIN FRUIT BOWL, PROBABLY FROM MADAME MÈRE’S SERVICE

SÈVRES PORCELAIN FRUIT BOWL, PROBABLY FROM MADAME MÈRE’S SERVICE Round hard-paste porcelain fruit bowl, With a polychrome decoration featuring a floral garland framed by two gold foliage friezes on a beautiful blue background; the borders are adorned with a gold fillet. Very good condition, with a tiny chip on the upper rim. Sèvres National Porcelain Manufactory, late 18th century, circa 1797–1800. Marked “RF” and “Sevres” on the reverse. H. 9 x D. 21.5 cm. Provenance This fruit bowl may be one of the eight round fruit bowls from the dessert service described as “beautiful blue background with garlands,” purchased on 2 Germinal, Year 10 (March 23, 1802) by Letizia Bonaparte, mother of Napoleon Bonaparte, the future Emperor Napoleon I (Sèvres Archives, Cité de la Céramique, Vy13, f° 28). Another service, “beautiful blue, cup-shaped with garlands of flowers,” was purchased in January 1801 by Mme. Lefébure (née Leclercq), consisting of 12 round fruit bowls and 4 salad bowls (of the same shape but probably slightly larger, most measuring 25 cm in diameter). A plate from Madame Mère’s set is illustrated in *Napoléon Ier et Sèvres, l’art de la porcelaine au service de l’Empire*, a collective work edited by C. Leprince, Paris, 2016, p. 248, no. 17.