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A wonderful late Louis XVI gilt and patinated bronze mounted blue Paris Porcelain ewer made by Locré, Fabrique de la Courtille, stamped with blue underglaze crossed torches mark, the baluster-shaped body surmounted by an open spout cast with a magnificent bearded grotesque mask and a horned ram’s head at the junction with the handle, the handle headed by a standing putto holding onto the ram’s horns, standing on a scrolling foliate and flower-head support, the stiff-leaf wrapped base above a tripartite support with lion paw feet on a stepped trefoil marble base
Paris, date circa 1785
Height 40 cm.
Provenance: The Grange, Lydd, Romney Marsh, Kent, England.
In 1773 Jean-Baptiste Locré (1726-87) established a porcelain factory at La Courtille in the rue Fontaine-au-Roi Paris, which he named “Fabrique de la Courtille”. Success followed and soon his business proved one of the most productive of the Paris Porcelain Factories. Confidence and quality was enhanced after the German born modeller Laurent or Laurentius Russinger (1739-1810), who had worked at the Höchst factory, went into partnership with Locré in 1777. In about 1790 the factory introduced a new manufacturing technique for the production of their hard paste porcelain. Following Locré’s death Russinger went into partnership with François Pouyat (1752-1838) and continued until 1808 when the association was terminated. In 1810, the same year that Russinger died, Pouyat’s three sons acquired the concern; then in 1816 they and a new partner Guillaume Le Bourgeois transferred the venture to Fours in the Nièvre region. By this time the factory was specialising in the production of white porcelain and continued at Fours under successive ownership until about 1865.
Having previously worked in Leipzig, Locré initially intended to produce wares similar to porcelain and faience made in Germany even to the extent that his factory mark of two crossed torches resemble the crossed swords used by Meissen. Despite Germanic inspiration it was not long before his porcelaine Allemande reflected French designs. At first the sobriety of the Louis XVI style was combined with the undulating forms of the Louis XV so that lobed borders were common and certain ewers were made in the shape of fluted shells. As the century progressed into the early 1800’s forms became simplified but while contours were less fussy they were ornamented with applied relief decoration. Ewers or water jugs were the most widely made items one of which, made later than the present example, was decorated with a relief mask of Napoleon Bonaparte under the spout. The factory’s production also included dinner services, tea, coffee and chocolate services, dessert services and candlesticks as well as showpieces including large and important vases as well as a number of biscuit groups and portrait busts. The factory’s porcelain always had a clear and brilliant glaze and as here was sometimes decorated with a plain glaze. However 18th century pieces were more commonly painted with swags or scatterings of single flowers whilst in the following century a more varied decoration was introduced, either painted en grisaille or polychrome. Some pieces were painted with arabesques in the Pompeian manner, whilst landscapes with or without figures, religious and mythological scenes were also popular decorative devices. The simplicity of the present porcelain is perfectly offset by the beauty and intricacies of the mounts, which in themselves reflect Locré’s appreciation of Germanic art.
The ewer was acquired by Gordon, known as Tim (1900-82) and Sarah, known as Sadie (1907-2003) Paine, who lived at The Grange all their married life. Tim served as both Alderman and Mayor of Lydd for many years; he was also a Baron of the Cinq ports and represented Lydd at the last two Coronations in Westminster (1937 and 1953). He not only built up an impressive library of books but was also a keen collector of antiques and added to a collection inherited from the late Poppy Hyde of Mersham by constantly visiting the local auction rooms.
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