Stand with jam pots (plateau à deux pots de confiture) (one of a pair) (part of a service)
ca. 1771–72
Medium
Soft-paste porcelain
Dimensions
H. 3 1/2 in. (8.9 cm.); L. 9 3/4 in. (24.8 cm.)
Classification
Ceramics-Porcelain
Culture
French, Sèvres
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Wrightsman, 1976
Accession Number
1976.155.85a–c
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate "Stand with Jam Pots (Plateau à Deux Pots de Confiture)," one of a pair from larger service, exemplifies the pinnacle of 18th-century French porcelain artistry. Produced by the renowned Sèvres Manuf around 1771–72, it measures just 3½ inches high and 9¾ inches long, crafted from softaste porcelain—a prized early European formula that mimicked Chinese hard-paste while allowing vibrant colors and intricate gilding. Sèvres, the official royal porcelain factory under Louis XV, revolutionized decorative arts with its technical mastery and opulent designs. Soft-paste porcelain enabled...
About the Artist
Sèvres Manufactory · 1740–present
The Sèvres Manufactory, one of Europe's premier porcelain producers, was established in 1740 as the Manufacture de Vincennes under the patronage of Queen Marie Leszczyńska, who sought to rival Meissen and Chantilly porcelains with French soft-paste innovations. Initially a private venture, it relocated to Sèvres in 1756 in a purpose-built facility designed by architect Laurent Lindet near Madame d...