What is Sevres bisque porcelain?

Bisque, or biscuit porcelain, refers to unglazed ceramic fired once to produce a matte, marble-like texture. Popularised by the Sevres manufactory in 18th-century France, this technique was widely adopted for refined classical busts and neoclassical figurines.

How were 19th-century Sevres style porcelain busts constructed?

These decorative works typically feature an unglazed matte white bisque porcelain figure mounted onto a glazed porcelain base. The pedestals were often coloured in cobalt blue (bleu de Sevres) and highlighted with hand-applied gold leaf gilding.

How do you identify authentic Sevres porcelain busts?

Authentic pieces generally feature painted factory marks under the glaze, such as intertwined L initials with date letters, or incised maker initials. High-quality examples exhibit finely detailed hair work, crisp drapery, and precise gilding along the pedestal base.

How do you style a porcelain bust in a modern interior?

Position the sculpture as a focal accent on a fireplace mantel, a mahogany console table, or within a glass cabinet. The crisp white bisque contrasts effectively against dark painted walls or rich wooden panelling.

How should antique bisque porcelain be cleaned and maintained?

Dust unglazed bisque surfaces gently using a soft-bristled brush to avoid transferring oils into the porous ceramic. Avoid harsh chemical cleaners or excess water around gilded sections to preserve the gilded detailing.

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White Porcelain Bust

19th Century Sevres Porcelain

Classical Portrait Bust Sculpture

Id #SA1182239

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Antique Sevres Bisque Porcelain Bust Marie Antoinette 19th C

Name: Antique Sevres Bisque Porcelain Bust Marie Antoinette 19th C
Brand: Antique
SKU: SA1182239
Price: 1350 GBP
Availability: InStock

19th century

For Sale by Regent Antiques

Description

This is a fabulous decorative antique Sevres bisque porcelain bust of Marie Antoinette dating from early 19th Century and bearing the blue painted interlaced L's Sevres royal cipher with an M inside the classic two interlaced-Ls.

This is an elegant bust of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France and the wife of Louis XVI. The bust in white bisque porcelain contrasts beautifully with the glazed cobalt blue and gilt pedestal.

Marie Antoinette was a prominent victim of the Reign of Terror, executed by guillotine in October 1793 after being found guilty of treason by the Revolutionary Tribunal. Her execution followed that of her husband, King Louis XVI, and was the culmination of her unpopularity due to her perceived extravagance, and her perceived role in undermining the French Revolution. Busts of her were very popular in France and the Sevres factory made many.

Marie Antoinette is pictured with ribbons woven into her hair wearing a Fleur de Lys crown.

Bisque porcelain busts of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were highly fashionable during their reign, and continued to be produced in the 19th Century.

This bust depicts one of the most important figures in French history, and will make an elegant addition to any home.

Provenance: from a private Worcestershire collection.

Condition:

In excellent condition, with no chips, cracks or repairs, please see photos for confirmation.

Dimensions in cm:

Height 35 cm x Width 18 cm x Depth 14 cm

Dimensions in inches:

Height 1 foot, 2 inches x Width 7 inches x Depth 5 inches

Marie Antoinette

was the last queen of France prior to the French Revolution. She was born an archduchess of Austria, and was the penultimate child and youngest daughter of Empress Maria Theresa and Emperor Francis I.

Bisque,

French for 'biscuit', is a technique where the porcelain is left unglazed. In its pristine white state, the moulded porcelain resembles pure marble. This style of porcelain was invented by the Sèvres factory, who used it to create small sculptures to replace the white sugar figurines that were used to decorate dining room tables in the 18th Century.

Sevres Porcelain

traces its roots in France to early craftsmen who had small manufacturing operations in such places as Lille, Rouen. St. Cloud, and most notably Chantilly. It is from Chantilly that a cadre of workers migrated to the Chateau de Vincennes near Paris to form a larger porcelain manufactory in 1738.

French King Louis XV, perhaps inspired by his rumoured relationship with mistress Madame de Pompadour, took an intense interest in porcelain and moved the operation in 1756 to even larger quarters in the Paris suburb of Sevres. Sevres was also conveniently near the home of Madame de Pompadour and the King's own Palace at Versailles.

From the outset the king's clear aim was to produce Sevres Porcelain that surpassed the established Saxony works of Meissen and Dresden. Though the French lacked an ample supply of kaolin, a required ingredient for hard-paste porcelain (pate dure), their soft-paste porcelain (pate tendre) was fired at a lower temperature and was thus compatible with a wider variety of colours and glazes that in many cases were also richer and more vivid. Unglazed white Sevres Porcelain "biscuit" figurines were also a great success. However, soft-paste Sevres Porcelain was more easily broken. Therefore, early pieces of Sevres Porcelain that remain intact have become rare indeed.

The Sevres Porcelain manufactory always seemed to be in dire financial straits despite the incredibly fine works it produced. In fact, the king's insistence that only the finest items be created may have contributed to the difficulties. Only a limited number of European nobility could afford the extravagant prices demanded for such works. King Louis XV and eventually his heir, the ill-fated Louis XVI, were obliged t

Physical Dimensions

Height

35cm (13.78")

Width

18cm (7.09")

Depth

14cm (5.51")

Declaration

Regent Antiques has dated this Sevres Bisque Porcelain Bust to the 19th Century.

Reference Numbers

Sellingantiques Reference

SA1182239

Dealers Internal Reference

A3639a

Description

This is an elegant bust of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France and the wife of Louis XVI.

“

The bust in white bisque porcelain contrasts beautifully with the glazed cobalt blue and gilt pedestal.

Regent Antiques

fig 1. A 19th-century white bisque porcelain bust of Marie Antoinette on a cobalt blue and gilded glazed pedestal. — fig 1. Antique Sevres Bisque Porcelain Bust Marie Antoinette 19th C

Marie Antoinette was a prominent victim of the Reign of Terror, executed by guillotine in October 1793 after being found guilty of treason by the Revolutionary Tribunal. Her execution followed that of her husband, King Louis XVI, and was the culmination of her unpopularity due to her perceived extravagance, and her perceived role in undermining the French Revolution. Busts of her were very popular in France and the Sevres factory made many.

fig 2. A 19th-century white bisque porcelain bust of Marie Antoinette on a cobalt blue and gilded glazed pedestal. — fig 2. Antique Sevres Bisque Porcelain Bust Marie Antoinette 19th C

Marie Antoinette is pictured with ribbons woven into her hair wearing a Fleur de Lys crown.

Bisque porcelain busts of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were highly fashionable during their reign, and continued to be produced in the 19th Century.

fig 3. A 19th-century white bisque porcelain bust of Marie Antoinette on a cobalt blue and gilded glazed pedestal. — fig 3. Antique Sevres Bisque Porcelain Bust Marie Antoinette 19th C

This bust depicts one of the most important figures in French history, and will make an elegant addition to any home.

Provenance: from a private Worcestershire collection.

Condition:

In excellent condition, with no chips, cracks or repairs, please see photos for confirmation.

fig 4. A 19th-century white bisque porcelain bust of Marie Antoinette on a cobalt blue and gilded glazed pedestal. — fig 4. Antique Sevres Bisque Porcelain Bust Marie Antoinette 19th C

Dimensions in cm:

Height 35 cm x Width 18 cm x Depth 14 cm

Dimensions in inches:

Height 1 foot, 2 inches x Width 7 inches x Depth 5 inches

Marie Antoinette

was the last queen of France prior to the French Revolution. She was born an archduchess of Austria, and was the penultimate child and youngest daughter of Empress Maria Theresa and Emperor Francis I.

Bisque,

French for 'biscuit', is a technique where the porcelain is left unglazed. In its pristine white state, the moulded porcelain resembles pure marble. This style of porcelain was invented by the Sèvres factory, who used it to create small sculptures to replace the white sugar figurines that were used to decorate dining room tables in the 18th Century.

Sevres Porcelain

traces its roots in France to early craftsmen who had small manufacturing operations in such places as Lille, Rouen. St. Cloud, and most notably Chantilly. It is from Chantilly that a cadre of workers migrated to the Chateau de Vincennes near Paris to form a larger porcelain manufactory in 1738.

fig 7. A 19th-century white bisque porcelain bust of Marie Antoinette on a cobalt blue and gilded glazed pedestal. — fig 7. Antique Sevres Bisque Porcelain Bust Marie Antoinette 19th C

French King Louis XV, perhaps inspired by his rumoured relationship with mistress Madame de Pompadour, took an intense interest in porcelain and moved the operation in 1756 to even larger quarters in the Paris suburb of Sevres. Sevres was also conveniently near the home of Madame de Pompadour and the King's own Palace at Versailles.

fig 8. A 19th-century white bisque porcelain bust of Marie Antoinette on a cobalt blue and gilded glazed pedestal. — fig 8. Antique Sevres Bisque Porcelain Bust Marie Antoinette 19th C

From the outset the king's clear aim was to produce Sevres Porcelain that surpassed the established Saxony works of Meissen and Dresden. Though the French lacked an ample supply of kaolin, a required ingredient for hard-paste porcelain (pate dure), their soft-paste porcelain (pate tendre) was fired at a lower temperature and was thus compatible with a wider variety of colours and glazes that in many cases were also richer and more vivid. Unglazed white Sevres Porcelain "biscuit" figurines were also a great success. However, soft-paste Sevres Porcelain was more easily broken. Therefore, early pieces of Sevres Porcelain that remain intact have become rare indeed.

fig 9. A 19th-century white bisque porcelain bust of Marie Antoinette on a cobalt blue and gilded glazed pedestal. — fig 9. Antique Sevres Bisque Porcelain Bust Marie Antoinette 19th C

The Sevres Porcelain manufactory always seemed to be in dire financial straits despite the incredibly fine works it produced. In fact, the king's insistence that only the finest items be created may have contributed to the difficulties. Only a limited number of European nobility could afford the extravagant prices demanded for such works. King Louis XV and eventually his heir, the ill-fated Louis XVI, were obliged t