PLATTER (PLATEAU) FOR SOUP TUREEN (POT-À-OILLE DU ROI)

Creator(s): Vincennes Porcelain Manufactory (Manufacturer)

On view in: French Porcelain Room

About this object

Tureens, or 'pots-à-oille', were the most expensive elements of dinner services. The word 'oille' is derived from the Spanish 'olla,' a type of stew made from several kinds of meats and vegetables. This recipe, along with other Spanish traditions, was introduced in France following the marriage of Louis XIV to Marie-Thérèse of Austria, daughter of Philip IV of Spain. The shape of this tureen is ascribed to the creative genius of Jean-Claude Duplessis, the artistic director and chief designer of the factory, and it is related to the first service produced for Louis XV. Its deep turquoise color (bleu céleste), which was extremely difficult to achieve, became one of the prides of the factory. Invented in 1753 and used for the first time in the Louis XV dinner service, it was inspired by the bright turquoise glaze found on Chinese ceramics of the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries.

The ground is turquoise-blue; the shape is oval; the handles at either side are white touched with gold and in the form of bold leaf scrolls; in the center on a white ground is a cluster of flowers in natural color; the wide blue rim has delicate flower garlands and leaf sprays in gold.

Object name:

PLATTER (PLATEAU) FOR SOUP TUREEN (POT-À-OILLE DU ROI)

Made from:

Soft-paste porcelain

Made in:

Vincennes, France

Date made:

1754-1755

Size:

in plate stand: H. 16 15/16 × W. 20 1/8 in. (43 × 51.1 cm)

Detailed information for this item

Catalog number:

24.1.3

Class:

CERAMICS

Signature marks:

.3 (tray) Unmarked.

Credit line:

Bequest of Marjorie Merriweather Post, 1973