19th Century French Old Paris Porcelain
Above is a lovely19th Century French Old Paris
Porcelain Vase surrounded with a wide band of
hand painted flowers, leaves and beautifully detailed
with gold banding and decoration at the top and bottom.
About 19th Century Old Paris porcelain .......
Old Paris Porcelain, or what is known in France as Vieux Paris Porcelain, does not refer to just one single manufacturer, but to more than thirty different porcelain sources that were based within the City of Paris between the mid 1700's until approximately 1870, the end of the Second Empire. The term was not actually used until the latter part of that period.
The various Paris artisans, mostly situated in the northeast side of Paris, perfected their skills quickly or went out of business. In the beginning, they had to compete with King Louis XV's own Royal Manufactory at Sevres, just 18 miles to the southwest of the city. To minimize competition, the king enacted laws that severely restricted the activities of other porcelain manufacturers. But as the manufacture of porcelain was proven to have a positive impact on the French economy, Old Paris porcelain enjoyed more latitude in its manufacture and operations.
In fact, Old Paris manufacturers also not only benefited from intense competition between one another, but in some cases were better off both creatively and financially than even the Royal Manufactory at Sevres. Many Old Paris porcelain artisans had their own patrons from the French nobility. They catered more quickly to changing styles and customs. By the turn of the nineteenth century, nearly all Old Paris porcelain was the hard-paste variety, thanks to the earlier discovery of kaolin near Limoges.
No porcelain mark ever came to be synonymous with Old Paris china. There is not any "official" Old Paris Mark. Actually, around 70% of the production during this era had no identifying marks at all. Many of the Old Paris artisans worked with blanks or "white wares" that had originally been produced at Limoges and even at Sevres. Their main functions in those cases were strictly to act as decorators, but truly magnificent works came from these people. Their stories are much like the emergence of fine porcelain in Dresden as originally it was in the orbit of the manufactory at Meissen.
Names such as Dihl, Nast, Dagoty, Neppel, Edouard Honore, Denuelle, Clauss, Gille, and Petit all distinguished themselves as Old Paris porcelain artisans, winning many honors and achieving great financial success. Their works ranged in style from neo-classical to rococo revival, to renaissance revival.
In consideration of all of the variables of changing times, the different exponents of Old Paris porcelain are among the finest European porcelain.
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Many thanks!
Wonderful Article!
Nice porcelain antique vase
Values to collection.
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This is a informative article. Thanks for the info.
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This is a great blog. Continue the great work and information.
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Such an art ... beautiful pieces
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