Book Description

Excerpt from Sèvres Porcelain of Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle In England, during the first quarter of the nineteenth century, the taste for Sevres Porcelain was universal among the many rich collectors of the time, who naturally followed the example set by the Prince Regent. Evidence of this taste is to be found in the collections belonging to the nobility, which for the most part were brought together about this period. Amongst them were many splendid examples Of Sevres Porcelain. It is to be regretted, however, that many of the finest specimens, through the dispersal Of some of these Old collections, have left the country, never to return. One reason for the acquisition of Sevres, on the part of wealthy English connoisseurs, to the exclusion of other and contemporary productions, was the general and intense antagonism to all Napoleonic forms of art. Sevres Porcelain of the best periods found a ready market in England; and many French nobles fallen on evil times, and who, under the Bourbon monarchy, would rather have sold their domains than their valued porcelains, Royal gifts as they were, secretly disposed Of them to English purchasers. The appreciation of Sevres Porcelain, unlike that of many other Ceramic arts, has been little influenced by passing fashion or fancy. The writer, however, ventures to assert that it is only in more recent years that its artistic and technical excellence has been adequately recognised. In the first half Of the nineteenth century a Sevres vase was regarded by most people simply as a Sevres vase, very little count being taken of its artistic quality or period of manufacture, provided Of course that it came under the designation of soft paste. At the present day it is satisfactory to note a desire for purity Of design and sound principles Of construction and decoration rather than over - exuberance Of enrichment. The result Of this change Of sentiment is that a collector nowadays would rather possess a small and dainty vase or cabaret made within the first dozen years of the foundation of the Factory, than a vase or pair of vases of greater magnitude and later style Of decoration. Happily the Royal Collection, while including amongst its many specimens every representative type. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.