FINE CERAMICS AND WORKS OF ART
FOREWORD
We are delighted to present
our 2006 catalogue 'The Elegance of Porcelain'. We feel particularly
fortunate this year to have brought together such varied rare examples of
some of the finest eighteenth and nineteenth century English and
Continental porcelain, that we have handled for many years. Many of the
pieces come from private English collections not seen on the open market
within living memory.
There are so many objects in the catalogue that deserve mention. Unfortunately, however, space does not allow this, so we will choose a few of our personal favourites to discuss in this introduction.
(No. 1) shows our earliest example of a series of seven teapots within the catalogue, dating from circa 1735-40. The Chantilly teapot copies the Japanese Kakiemon style showing the pugnacious quail to great effect.
A further sense of the Orient is displayed in (No. 6) the seated Böttger porcelain Magot incense burner, whose crisply modelled features are tinted in the most delicate of fleshlike tones. We feel fortunate to have a coloured Chelsea acanthus moulded teapot (No. 11), which comes from the learned and eminent Dr. Paul Riley. The teapot is one of four coloured examples recorded, one of three still with its correct cover. We are unable to find any record where both a coloured acanthus moulded teapot and an acanthus moulded coffee jug (No. 10), have been offered in the same catalogue. The jug shows the very strong silver influence in porcelain design in the production of early English porcelain.
The piece of central importance to this catalogue is (No. 18), The Harlequin Service Teapot which has been decorated, with a series of eight different patterns, within the Giles atelier in London. It has been argued convincingly that the surviving four pieces probably formed a service of very special significance. The reason for this conclusion is that part of the decoration includes duplications, suggesting that these are not samples. The eight panels (panels 1-8) are associated with pieces as shown within the footnote and description p. 31-36. However, it is the symbolism and deeper significance of this commission which we discuss below.
There are allusions to the Triumph of Love painted all over this teapot. It is acknowledged in the world of the lapidary, that there are very special meanings associated with gemstones. Turquoise is associated with Love, and turquoise jewellery often formed part of the marriage ritual. All that now remains of this tradition is the verse 'Something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue'. The association of marriage with turquoise came from the continent, therefore there is every possibility that the bleu celeste colour at Vincennes and Sevres is associated with the commemoration of marriage or, by extension, sovereignty.
The form of the piece, although secondary to the decoration, strongly alludes to love, the double intertwined handle neatly asserting the ideal of domestic harmony. This ideal is taken further by the first main scene, painted in the loose style of David Teniers with a peasant seated beside his sweetheart. She shows him her commitment with the basket of roses and damsons, the rose signifying true love and the damson personal devotion. He appears to toast the partnership and even shows her the clay pipe in his hands, which had long been a symbol of fertility and fecundity. The heart-shaped ogival panel in which the figures are framed endorse their devotion.
The reverse panel shows a dove of Venus perching over fruit, each a powerful allusion to love. This knowledge was brought back to Europe in the mid eighteenth century by Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, (see Royal Splendour, 2005). The pear signifies 'affection', the damson 'personal devotion' and the rose hips are literally 'the fruit of true love', the bird also partakes of the fruit, which is very significant as this refers to a 'union of lovers'. This emblematic decoration is surmounted by panel No.7, on the cover, which shows a garland of flowers in green monochrome, tied on either side by double-bowed true lovers' knots. These very important symbols were well understood as visual metaphors in the eighteenth century and in their noblest form were worn as diamonds. They are succinctly encompassed by the quotation 'The further we fly the faster we tie' English anon circa 1770. We are grateful to art historian Charlotte Gere and Geoffrey Munn of Wartski, for help in cataloguing this extraordinary commemoration of the 'Triumph of Love'.
The Tournai figure of Venus (No. 9) recalls the painting by Rubens 'Venus before the mirror' in the collection of HSH the Prince of Liechtenstein, at Vaduz Castle. Venus, born of the shell is wearing one of her many attributes a necklace of pearls. She gazes out powerfully at the viewer and her plunging décollétage endorses her identity as the pagan goddess of love. These themes were to reach their artistic zenith with the work of François Boucher and Jean-Honoré Fragonard, under the patronage of Madame de Pompadour.
In the Chelsea section we show two other important pieces from Dr. Riley's collection. (No.12) the small oval platter with Warren Hastings type moulding, at one time in the collection of the Marquis of Waterford, and (No. 14) the early silver-shaped dish painted with a superb spray of European flowers and a butterfly, which is after a silver form used by Nicholas Sprimont. The reverse of the dish is flat and unglazed. It was only towards the end of the raised anchor period that these dishes were given a footrim. As with all the items in Dr. Riley's collection these are wonderful examples of Chelsea painting. It is always a pleasure to visit him and his wife Helga at their home and this year was no exception, we were treated to roast guinea fowl, while watching the siskin birds feeding from thistledown.
Perhaps arguably in rarity terms, the star of the Chelsea section is the Zoomorphic Duck tureen, (No. 13). The duck appears to be swimming with trim alert movements. This model must rank as one of the most charming bird forms produced at Chelsea. We can trace one similar model referred to in the footnote but the pose of the head is slightly different. One reason for this must be that the tureen begs to be handled, the look on the duck's face is so very tender, therefore many examples would have succumbed to damage.
(No 5), the Meissen Jays, which do not appear to be recorded in the literature, show the interest of Continental Europe in the natural world. The oak stumps and leaves, on which the birds perch, allude to the habitat and practise of these fascinating creatures. Far from being idle creatures it is estimated that each adult jay will plant approximately three thousand acorns in a month! This sense of industry has been immortalised in these ambitious models.
Amongst the early Bow in the exhibition the figure of John Beard as the saltbox player, (No.16) illustrates the reaction in England to the prevailing Italian influence in music which led to an entire upheaval of the musical movement culminating in this type of burlesque, as shown in the compositions by Bonnell Thornton. See p. 26 for Beard's chorus, played on the saltbox with a marrow bone, where a sense of the sound may be imagined. Also, within the Bow section, (No.20) is an extremely rare Bow large shell sweetmeat dish, which includes an extremely rare feature of the crab applied to the base between the shells. The shell is decorated with very unusual Kakiemon and famille verte floral sprigs. This piece would appear to be unrecorded.
Our Worcester section continues with the very rare Giles decorated small, scalloped-shaped dessert plate (No. 23), showing two cranes and the 'three friends' pattern. This decoration comes from a very small group of Worcester Giles decorated replacements to the Japanese porcelain service belonging to the Earls of Darlington, subsequently Dukes of Cleveland, at Raby castle. This rare, predominantly gilt pattern, and its source of decoration, from the Giles atelier, together with its powerful provenance amounts to a piece of First period Worcester of enviable calibre.
The quality of the Worcester blue scale vases and covers (No. 25) speaks for itself, as they are without doubt some of the finest vases made. Both the painter and gilder have excelled themselves in producing exotic birds of such large size and exceptional gilt detailing around the reserved cartouches.
The remaining twenty pieces of very fine First Period Worcester shine as stellar examples in their own right and need no introduction to their magnificence, so without further ado we wish you enjoyment of our catalogue The Elegance of Porcelain.
Brian
Haughton and Paul Crane
London 2006