314 - Soup plate from the so-called “Capraire” service of King Louis-Philippe at the Tuileries Palace

Soup plate from the so-called “Capraire” service of King Louis-Philippe at the Tuileries Palace Made of hard porcelain, decorated with a scattering of gold florets in the bowl; the rim features a beautiful blue background adorned with a gold “Capraire” frieze and a gold fillet along the edge. Chip on the rim. Royal Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory, 1841. Blue stamped mark with the cipher of King Louis-Philippe dated 1841, mark of gilder Jean-Louis Moyez, green manufacturer’s mark dated 1837. Diameter: 24.5 cm. Provenance This famous yet, paradoxically, little-known service was originally commissioned by Napoleon I for the “Service des Princes” at the Tuileries Palace, delivered in June 1811, and described as: “beautiful blue marli service, gold capraire frieze, mosaic florets in the center, etc.” (Arch. MNC, Sèvres, registers Vy20, f°9 and Vu1, f°106). During the Restoration, it was used at Saint-Cloud (beginning in 1820), Compiègne (1824), Fontainebleau (1827), and Rambouillet (1828). Louis-Philippe therefore acquired many pieces and decided to make them the tableware for his official residence, the Tuileries, where most official meals and receptions took place. The first order was placed by letter dated November 21, 1832 (762 pieces), however, the King made a change to the original set, as he did not want the gold flower motif normally found in the center of the plates (Archives of the Cité de la Céramique, Sèvres, register Vtt3, f°175). It was subsequently used at the Tuileries by Emperor Napoleon III. The name of this service comes from the frieze of exotic leaves bearing that name, native to South America and related to tea, which goats particularly enjoy—hence the name “capraire,” derived from the Latin *caprinus* (goat, billy goat).