Page 76 - catalogue 2016
P. 76
Parisian marchand-merciers and their use of Sèvres porcelain
“Dealer [mercier]….seller of everything, maker of nothing” goes the rather assembled by Bernard II Vanrisamburgh for Mademoiselle de Sens. This
heavy-handed definition of the profession given by the 1765 edition of first creation was followed by dressing-tables, inkstands, jewel coffers,
the Encyclopédie or the Universal Dictionary of Sciences. The marchand- secretaries and all manner of furniture adorned with porcelain by the
merciers belonged to the third of the six municipals guilds in Paris which most talented cabinet-makers of the day. At Poirier’s instigation, Sèvres
was considered the most prestigious and powerful. The statutes only created vases in different solid colors – dark blue [gros bleu], sky blue [bleu
permitted commercial activity and forbade any direct manufacturing. celeste], green and even purple, all in an attempt to imitate Chinese
Their clientele was mainly composed of the richest members of Court monochrome porcelain wares. A drawing dated 1775 conserved in the
and Parisian society together with wealthy foreign visitors, all avid to own archives of the Sèvres factory depicts a flask for M. Poirier/executed in either
objects in the latest fashion. The constant demand for novelties pushed green or royal blue. The dealer would subsequently have it mounted either
the dealers to develop the creative side of their business by collaborating as a candelabra or a vase. In the same vein, Sèvres supplied at this time
with other guilds such as the silversmiths-jewellers, cabinet-makers, different elements to be made into clocks.
tabletiers (makers of precious objects and game boards) and above all
the bronziers, gilt bronze-makers. By bringing together these different In 1777, Poirier passed his business on to Dominique Daguerre (1726-1796)
artisans, the marchand-merciers had a profound influence on French taste who proceeded to give the Sèvres factory wood models which he wanted
from the beginning of the reign of Louis XV onward. executed in porcelain. Numerous preparatory drawings in Daguerre’s
name for cassolettes and vases have survived from between 1782 and 1785.
Mounted objects in precious hard-stones or porcelain became all the These pieces were specially conceived to be mounted by the greatest
rage. Ceramics from the Far East were the rarest and most highly valued. bronziers of the time such as Jean-Claude-Thomas Duplessis fils (1730-
Certain dealers made a specialty of this field, notably Claude-François 1783) and Pierre-Philippe Thomire (1751-1843) who transformed them into
Julliot (1727-1794) who set up his business Curieux des Indes [Eastern all manner of objects such as ewers, pot-pourris or perfume burners.
Curiosities] in 1760 in the Rue Saint-Honoré. However, these imported
wares imposed certain practical constraints and often proved ill-suited Other Parisian marchand-merciers featured mounted Sèvres porcelain:
to European use. First the Vincennes factory and then Sèvres in the Mme Lair and especially Jean Dulac (1704-1786) who came from a family
second half of the 18th Century saw an opportunity to supply the dealers of dealers in the Rue Saint-Honoré and traded under the sign of A la tête
with works in porcelain specially adapted to their designs and in unlimited d’or [The Golden Head]. He purchased large numbers of candle nozzles
supply. The marchand-merciers became important clients of the porcelain from the factory for use in light fittings, combining once again porcelain
factories, ordering large quantities of vases and all manner of objects. with gilt bronze. The models followed the designs in latest neo-classical
taste of decorators such as Delafosse or Richard de Lalonde. In the early
As early as 1748, the celebrated dealer, Lazare Duvaux (1703-1758), used 1770s he mainly commissioned cups for mounting [gobelets à monter]
Vincennes porcelain flowers to embellish wall lights, clocks and other which once mounted in gilt bronze gave rise to numerous variations of
works in gilt bronze. Inspired by Meissen porcelain models, he sold in that garnitures of pot- pourri vases.
same year for the sum of 384 livres a vase in white Vincennes porcelain, with
two parrots side by side on a base of gilded bronze, supporting several brass Appreciated by major collectors, men of taste and the simply curious,
branches imitating nature, decorated with Vincennes flowers on each one. mounted porcelain played significant role in the decorative arts of the
18th Century thanks to the decisive involvement of the marchand-
At La couronne d’or [The Gold Crown], Simon-Philippe Poirier (1720-1785) merciers. They alone had the means to diversify and multiply the forms
became the principal retailer of Sèvres porcelain in Paris after the death and styles of mounted porcelain in the face of the demands of an exacting
of Lazare Duvaux. He made a particular specialty of creating and selling clientele.
furniture decorated with Sèvres porcelain plaques. In 1758, he ordered a
series of plaques from the royal factory destined for a commode Sylvie Vriz, Art Historian
68
“Dealer [mercier]….seller of everything, maker of nothing” goes the rather assembled by Bernard II Vanrisamburgh for Mademoiselle de Sens. This
heavy-handed definition of the profession given by the 1765 edition of first creation was followed by dressing-tables, inkstands, jewel coffers,
the Encyclopédie or the Universal Dictionary of Sciences. The marchand- secretaries and all manner of furniture adorned with porcelain by the
merciers belonged to the third of the six municipals guilds in Paris which most talented cabinet-makers of the day. At Poirier’s instigation, Sèvres
was considered the most prestigious and powerful. The statutes only created vases in different solid colors – dark blue [gros bleu], sky blue [bleu
permitted commercial activity and forbade any direct manufacturing. celeste], green and even purple, all in an attempt to imitate Chinese
Their clientele was mainly composed of the richest members of Court monochrome porcelain wares. A drawing dated 1775 conserved in the
and Parisian society together with wealthy foreign visitors, all avid to own archives of the Sèvres factory depicts a flask for M. Poirier/executed in either
objects in the latest fashion. The constant demand for novelties pushed green or royal blue. The dealer would subsequently have it mounted either
the dealers to develop the creative side of their business by collaborating as a candelabra or a vase. In the same vein, Sèvres supplied at this time
with other guilds such as the silversmiths-jewellers, cabinet-makers, different elements to be made into clocks.
tabletiers (makers of precious objects and game boards) and above all
the bronziers, gilt bronze-makers. By bringing together these different In 1777, Poirier passed his business on to Dominique Daguerre (1726-1796)
artisans, the marchand-merciers had a profound influence on French taste who proceeded to give the Sèvres factory wood models which he wanted
from the beginning of the reign of Louis XV onward. executed in porcelain. Numerous preparatory drawings in Daguerre’s
name for cassolettes and vases have survived from between 1782 and 1785.
Mounted objects in precious hard-stones or porcelain became all the These pieces were specially conceived to be mounted by the greatest
rage. Ceramics from the Far East were the rarest and most highly valued. bronziers of the time such as Jean-Claude-Thomas Duplessis fils (1730-
Certain dealers made a specialty of this field, notably Claude-François 1783) and Pierre-Philippe Thomire (1751-1843) who transformed them into
Julliot (1727-1794) who set up his business Curieux des Indes [Eastern all manner of objects such as ewers, pot-pourris or perfume burners.
Curiosities] in 1760 in the Rue Saint-Honoré. However, these imported
wares imposed certain practical constraints and often proved ill-suited Other Parisian marchand-merciers featured mounted Sèvres porcelain:
to European use. First the Vincennes factory and then Sèvres in the Mme Lair and especially Jean Dulac (1704-1786) who came from a family
second half of the 18th Century saw an opportunity to supply the dealers of dealers in the Rue Saint-Honoré and traded under the sign of A la tête
with works in porcelain specially adapted to their designs and in unlimited d’or [The Golden Head]. He purchased large numbers of candle nozzles
supply. The marchand-merciers became important clients of the porcelain from the factory for use in light fittings, combining once again porcelain
factories, ordering large quantities of vases and all manner of objects. with gilt bronze. The models followed the designs in latest neo-classical
taste of decorators such as Delafosse or Richard de Lalonde. In the early
As early as 1748, the celebrated dealer, Lazare Duvaux (1703-1758), used 1770s he mainly commissioned cups for mounting [gobelets à monter]
Vincennes porcelain flowers to embellish wall lights, clocks and other which once mounted in gilt bronze gave rise to numerous variations of
works in gilt bronze. Inspired by Meissen porcelain models, he sold in that garnitures of pot- pourri vases.
same year for the sum of 384 livres a vase in white Vincennes porcelain, with
two parrots side by side on a base of gilded bronze, supporting several brass Appreciated by major collectors, men of taste and the simply curious,
branches imitating nature, decorated with Vincennes flowers on each one. mounted porcelain played significant role in the decorative arts of the
18th Century thanks to the decisive involvement of the marchand-
At La couronne d’or [The Gold Crown], Simon-Philippe Poirier (1720-1785) merciers. They alone had the means to diversify and multiply the forms
became the principal retailer of Sèvres porcelain in Paris after the death and styles of mounted porcelain in the face of the demands of an exacting
of Lazare Duvaux. He made a particular specialty of creating and selling clientele.
furniture decorated with Sèvres porcelain plaques. In 1758, he ordered a
series of plaques from the royal factory destined for a commode Sylvie Vriz, Art Historian
68
