What defines 19th-century Sevres-style porcelain lamps?

Sevres-style porcelain lamps from the 19th century typically feature bright ground colours such as bleu celeste or turquoise, adorned with hand-painted romantic reserves and gilt framing set into cast brass or ormolu mounts.

What materials are used in antique French porcelain lamps?

These lamps are constructed from hand-painted glaze porcelain, enriched with gold leaf embellishments, alongside cast brass or gilt-bronze burner mounts and bases.

How can authentic 19th-century French porcelain lamps be identified?

Authentic pieces feature detailed hand-painted artwork within cartouches, heavy cast metal mounts showing tool marks, and traditional maker or painter marks on the underside of the porcelain body.

How should a pair of French porcelain lamps be styled in a modern interior?

Positioning the pair symmetrically on a sideboard, console table, or mantelpiece provides structural balance and introduces classical texture to modern or traditional rooms.

What is the correct way to clean and preserve antique porcelain lamps?

Dust the porcelain gently using a soft microfibre cloth, avoid applying abrasive chemical solutions to gilded areas, and clean metal mounts with a dry or lightly dampened swab.

for sale €1,814 $1,969

£1,550

Regent Antiques

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We specialise in english and continental furniture, silver, porcelain and decorative items.
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Id #SA765754

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Antique Pair Large French Bleu Celeste Sevres Vases Lamps 19th C

19th century

For Sale by Regent Antiques

Description

This is an exquisite large pair of French Sevres porcelain and ormolu mounted oil burning table lamps that have been skillfully converted to electricity retaining their original and charming oil burning mounts, circa 1870 in date.

The lamps have cylindrical and tapering porcelain bodies, which are superbly decorated with hand painted panels of courting lovers into a naturalistic landscape with foliage, trees and flowers. The panels are richly highlighted with gilt on a stunning "bleu celeste" ground.

Condition:

In excellent condition having been beautifully cleaned and rewired in our workshops, please see photos for confirmation.

Dimensions in cm:

Height 47 x Width 13 x Depth 13

Dimensions in inches:

Height 18.5 x Width 5.1 x Depth 5.1

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 to invest heavily in the enterprise. Ultimately, the Sevres Porcelain Factory produced items under the name of "Royal" and thus the well-known Sevres mark was born. King Louis XV even mandated laws that severely restricted other porcelain production in France so as to retain a near monopoly for his Sevres Porcelain. The king even willingly became chief salesman for the finest of his products, hosting an annual New Year's Day showing for French nobility in his private quarters at Versailles. He eagerly circulated among potential buyers, pitching the merits of ownership and policing the occasional light-fingered guest.

Sevres Porcelain may have indeed given the makers of Meissen and Dresden a run for their money by the end of the 18th Century but for the French Revolution. By 1800, the Sevres Porcelain Works were practically out of business due to the economic devastation of the new French Republic.

About the time when Napoleon Bonaparte named himself Emperor of France (1804), a new director was named for the Sevres Porcelain Manufactory. Alexandre Brongniart, highly educated in many fields, resurrected Sevres Porcelain. Soft-paste porcelain was eliminated altogether thanks to the earlier discovery of kaolin near Limoges. For four decades until his death, Brongniart presided over monumental progress for Sevres Porcelain, catering not only to Napoleon hims

Physical Dimensions

Height

47cm (18.50")

Width

13cm (5.12")

Depth

13cm (5.12")

Declaration

Regent Antiques has dated these French Porcelain Table Lamps to the 19th Century.

Reference Numbers

Sellingantiques Reference

SA765754

Dealers Internal Reference

09363

Description

“

The lamps have cylindrical and tapering porcelain bodies, which are superbly decorated with hand painted panels of courting lovers into a naturalistic landscape with foliage, trees and flowers.

Regent Antiques

The panels are richly highlighted with gilt on a stunning "bleu celeste" ground.

fig 1. A pair of 19th-century French porcelain and brass lamps featuring blue porcelain bodies painted with romantic figurative scenes in gilt borders. — fig 1. Antique Pair Large French Bleu Celeste Sevres Vases Lamps 19th C

Condition:

In excellent condition having been beautifully cleaned and rewired in our workshops, please see photos for confirmation.

Dimensions in cm:

Height 47 x Width 13 x Depth 13

Dimensions in inches:

Height 18.5 x Width 5.1 x Depth 5.1

fig 2. A pair of 19th-century French porcelain and brass lamps featuring blue porcelain bodies painted with romantic figurative scenes in gilt borders. — fig 2. Antique Pair Large French Bleu Celeste Sevres Vases Lamps 19th C

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 3. A pair of 19th-century French porcelain and brass lamps featuring blue porcelain bodies painted with romantic figurative scenes in gilt borders. — fig 3. Antique Pair Large French Bleu Celeste Sevres Vases Lamps 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 4. A pair of 19th-century French porcelain and brass lamps featuring blue porcelain bodies painted with romantic figurative scenes in gilt borders. — fig 4. Antique Pair Large French Bleu Celeste Sevres Vases Lamps 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 5. A pair of 19th-century French porcelain and brass lamps featuring blue porcelain bodies painted with romantic figurative scenes in gilt borders. — fig 5. Antique Pair Large French Bleu Celeste Sevres Vases Lamps 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 to invest heavily in the enterprise. Ultimately, the Sevres Porcelain Factory produced items under the name of "Royal" and thus the well-known Sevres mark was born. King Louis XV even mandated laws that severely restricted other porcelain production in France so as to retain a near monopoly for his Sevres Porcelain. The king even willingly became chief salesman for the finest of his products, hosting an annual New Year's Day showing for French nobility in his private quarters at Versailles. He eagerly circulated among potential buyers, pitching the merits of ownership and policing the occasional light-fingered guest.

fig 6. A pair of 19th-century French porcelain and brass lamps featuring blue porcelain bodies painted with romantic figurative scenes in gilt borders. — fig 6. Antique Pair Large French Bleu Celeste Sevres Vases Lamps 19th C

Sevres Porcelain may have indeed given the makers of Meissen and Dresden a run for their money by the end of the 18th Century but for the French Revolution. By 1800, the Sevres Porcelain Works were practically out of business due to the economic devastation of the new French Republic.

fig 7. A pair of 19th-century French porcelain and brass lamps featuring blue porcelain bodies painted with romantic figurative scenes in gilt borders. — fig 7. Antique Pair Large French Bleu Celeste Sevres Vases Lamps 19th C

About the time when Napoleon Bonaparte named himself Emperor of France (1804), a new director was named for the Sevres Porcelain Manufactory. Alexandre Brongniart, highly educated in many fields, resurrected Sevres Porcelain. Soft-paste porcelain was eliminated altogether thanks to the earlier discovery of kaolin near Limoges. For four decades until his death, Brongniart presided over monumental progress for Sevres Porcelain, catering not only to Napoleon hims

Physical Dimensions

Height

47cm (18.50")

Width

13cm (5.12")

Depth

13cm (5.12")

Date of Manufacture

Regent Antiques has dated these French Porcelain Table Lamps to the 19th Century.

Reference Numbers

Sellingantiques Ref

SA765754