September, 1916 
27 
Early and Late Differences 
In Sevres porcelain of the first period 
the white ground predominates. The 
flowers and wreaths, etc., are delicately 
scattered over, but do not crowd the white 
field. In later pieces the decoration came by 
degrees to be the more assertive. Likewise 
more gilding was employed. After 1770 
portraits came into the decoration and the 
designs of the Louis Quinze, or of the 
Louis Quatorze periods were superseded by 
designs which followed more along Egyp¬ 
tian and Etruscan lines. 
With the soft porcelain of Sevres very 
large pieces could not be produced, but of 
the later hard paste porcelain huge vases 
were often fabricated, marvels indeed of 
ceramic skill, though seldom as artistic and 
perfect in technical qualities. 
The bisque-colored statuettes of early 
Sevres eagerly sought by museums and col¬ 
Because of its rarity, Sevres bisque is especially 
cherished. This group “ Europa ” is of nth 
Century manufacture 
word “Sevres” (from 1803 to 1804). The 
years IX (1801), X (1802) and XI (1803) 
were designated by “TI,” “X” and “XI” 
in addition. 
The mark of the first Imperial Epoch 
(1804-1814) was “M. Imple” over “de 
Sevres,” two ornamental strokes below and 
then, later, the Imperial Eagle crowned, 
with the legend “manufacture Imperiale. 
Sevres” (1810). The years XII (1804), 
XIII (1805) and XIV (1806) were marked 
by distinguishing symbols (1804 by two 
horizontal dashes, a dot above and one be¬ 
low; 1805 by two short vertical lines, a 
horizontal dash to the left and one to the 
right; the year 1806 by a mark resembling a 
trident without handle, prongs upward). 
The fronts of the 
pair of vases 
s h 0 tv n opposite 
bear pictorial de¬ 
signs 
Llellot in 1752; the 
rose Pompadour, 
which dates from 
the time when that 
woman of genius 
was the fashion; 
the rose Dubarry, 
paler than the pre¬ 
ceding ; the violet 
pensee (pansy-vio¬ 
let) ; the jaune 
clair or jonquille 
(pale yellow) ; the 
v e r t-p 0 m m e or 
vert-jaune (apple 
green); the vert- 
pre or vert anglais 
(grass-green).” To 
quote M. Gamier; 
“As will be per¬ 
ceived, soft porce¬ 
lain is a kind of 
vitrification, the texture of which is so ex¬ 
ceedingly fine and close that the non- 
enameled portions offer a softness to the 
touch—one might term it velvety quality— 
by which they may almost be recognized. 
But what above all constitutes the superior¬ 
ity of the soft paste is the lustre it gives to 
the colors, which seem to be identical in 
substance with the enamel itself, having to 
a certain extent sunk into it. This is one 
of the distinctive signs of this porcelain, 
and by this, in default of other character¬ 
istics, it may be recognized. When one 
looks at a piece of soft porcelain oblique¬ 
ly to the light, so that the light strikes 
partly on a painted portion and partly on 
a piece of white surface, no difference is 
noticeable in the glazing of the two por¬ 
tions ; all exhibits the same limpidity of 
quality. If, on the other hand, one ex¬ 
amines a piece of hard porcelain in the 
same manner, a distinct difference will 
be perceived; however well the colors 
are glazed, they will appear less bril¬ 
liant than the rest of the surface, and of 
a different texture.” 
lectors are one of the interesting phases of 
this manufacture, though these objects 
scarcely can be said to approach those of 
Saxony. Their manufacture at Sevres was 
almost given up after 1777. We have, 
however, in our own day, the much treas¬ 
ured statuettes modeled for Sevres by 
modern sculptors, among whom the great 
Auguste Rodin himself is numbered. 
The Year Marks 
From 1778 to 1792, inclusive, the year 
mark was indicated by the double letters 
AA to OO, inclusive, within the interlaced 
L’s. During the period of the First Re¬ 
public (1792-1804) the mark was, firstly, 
the interlaced F. R. (for “Republique Fran- 
qaise”), then the letters R. F. with the 
word Sevres below (Sevres being written 
with or without the accent mark) or just 
the word “Sevres” and finally in the Con¬ 
sular period of this epoch “MNle” over the 
The Sevres 
marks of the Sec¬ 
ond Royal Epoch 
consisted of the 
restored interlaced 
L’s of Louis 
XVIII and the 
fleu r-d e-1 y s be¬ 
tween ; of the in- 
t e r 1 a c e d C’s of 
Charles X with the 
X between, or the 
fleu r-d e-1 y s, or 
without; of just 
the fleur - de - lys 
(August 30 to De¬ 
cember. 1830), and 
other marks in 
circles a n d the 
cypher L. P. of 
Louis Philippe. 
With the advent 
of the Second Republican Epoch, 1848- 
1851, the R. F. was restored, only to be 
displayed by the Imperial Eagle (1852) 
and the crowned N. of 1854 of the Second 
Imperial Epoch (1852-1872). The Third 
Republic brought back the R. F. again, fol¬ 
lowed by other marks, the one introduced 
in 1888 showing a potter at work, the whole 
within a double circle bearing the legend 
“Nationale Sevres Manufacture.” From 
1817 date marks were designated by the 
last two numerals of the year number only, 
just as the dates 1807, 1808, 1809 and 1810 
had been designed by 7, 8, 9 and 10. The 
years 1811, to 1817, inclusive, had been 
designated by the small letters o.z, d.z, t.z, 
q.z, q.n, s.z and d.s, standing, respectively, 
for the French numerals onze, douse, treize, 
quatorze, quinze, seize and dix-sept. 
Sevres Since Then 
The present actual output of the Sevres 
works is very small, that institution hav¬ 
ing become a place for the education and 
training of French potters who will carry 
on the Sevres traditions in other lines of 
their work. Such examples as are being 
made today take the form of presentation 
sets of the ware especially designed and 
made as a gift to a potentate, a diplomat, 
or as a token of the French Government’s 
regard on such occasions as the marriage 
of a princess or a president’s daughter. Va¬ 
rious quantities of it have been brought to 
this country at the time of expositions, and 
much of that has passed into the hands of 
the American collectors. It is still possible, 
however, to pick up here and there good 
pieces that are genuine and thoroughly 
worth-while. 
Despite the advanced collector's greater 
eagerness to collect Sevres of the pate tendre 
period, later Sevres is an alluring, interest¬ 
ing, entertaining and possible field for the 
collector to enter without discouragement, 
and the pieces of this later fabrique well 
deserve a place in the cabinet or as a decor¬ 
ative feature in the home of good taste. 
The pictorial de¬ 
signs were intro¬ 
duced in Sevres 
after 1770, as was 
the gilt 
Cups and saucers, teapot and creamer of Sevres are not so rare as other pieces. In later times the 
Sevres works have become merely an educational institution for the potters of France and such 
porcelains as are made are merely gifts for kings, diplomats and other high functionaries 
