Sèvres pair of footed trays

Code: MB654/655

POA

From the Louis XV Petit Trianon Service

Plateaux Bouret

Circa 1763

Soft-paste porcelain

Width: 8 1/4 in. (21 cm.) each

Louis XV purchased the service in December 1763, probably for use at the newly built Petit Trianon (see David Peters, Sèvres Plates and Services of the Eighteenth Century, vol. II, 63-2). As it was included in a bulk purchase by the king with other service wares (notably a supplement for the Fontainebleau pink camaïeu service) it is impossible to know the exact composition of the original service. Supplements were supplied at regular intervals (the last one being in 1790). The service is mentioned in a 1782 inventory at Versailles, when it included five “soucoupes à glace en triangle,” which are presumed to be plateaux Bouret. This shape was used to hold ice cups.

The decoration of this service is quite particular. The plates are described as assiettes à groseilles, and they have raised redcurrant branches on the edge, which are highlighted in gilding, in addition to the varied and colorful trophies. The shaped pieces do not have the raised motifs, but they are rendered in flat gilding.

The central flower wreaths on the present trays are clearly painted by the experienced flower painter Vincent Taillandier (active 1753-90). They are similar in style to the wreaths he painted on another royal service at around this time (frises colorées, Peters 62-3), so it is probable that it dates from the original 1763 delivery.

These trays are the only known pieces of this shape to survive from the service. Versailles has been collecting pieces of the service since David Peters first identified it in around 1990.