IlERAMIC STUDIO 
FIVE PIECES FROM THE SEVRES SERVICE MADE FOR THE EMPRESS 
OF RUSSIA IN 1778— COLLECTION OF M. GOODE. 
From " La Porcelaine Tendre de Sevres," by E. Gamier. 
Gilding by Vincent and Legray, flowers by Barre and Taillandier, ground bleu 
turquoise and while, ornaments and circles gold, flowers and leaves natural 
colors, border medallions, figures in cameo white on chocolate brown ground. 
HIGH PRICES FOR OLD CHINA 
ONE of our subscribers asks what is the most valuable old 
china. It is well known that a number of old faiences 
and porcelains bring enormous prices, and without covering 
the ground very thoroughly we will try in this article to give 
an idea of the prices paid in recent years for some rare pieces 
of different makes. 
We have in this magazine given accounts of sales of 
Chinese porcelains, which take place almost every year in 
New York, and our readers know that fine blue and white, 
also some of the rare single color potteries run up to four 
figures. Some idea of the value placed by collectors upon 
really fine specimens of Chinese may be given by stating that 
a square shaped vase in Mr. George Salting's collection in 
England, black glaze and white decoration (famille noie) was 
bought for .£1,000 ($5,000). If we are not mistaken, a blue 
and white vase from the Dana collection sold in New York 
for the same price a few years ago. There is no doubt that 
some of the best and rarest specimens of old Chinese are yet 
in Chinese collections, and that unique pieces, if brought for 
sale in Europe or in this country, would go much higher than 
prices quoted above. 
The rare and valuable faiences and porcelains made in 
Europe during the 1 6th, 17th and 18th centuries, such as 
Italian and French faiences, Sevres, Dresden, Worcester, 
Chelsea porcelains, &c, do not seem to figure conspicuously 
in American collections. Genuine and high-priced specimens 
are seldom offered for sale here, although the country is 
flooded with counterfeits, and to get an idea of their value 
one must refer to sales occasionally made under the hammer 
at Christie's in London or at the Hotel Drouot in Paris, when 
famous European collections are dispersed. 
The porcelaine tendre de Sevres, manufactured first at 
Vincennes, later at Sevres, from 1740 to 1760, has lately 
attained phenomenal values. Single plates have brought as 
much as $1,000, cups and saucers $750. A famous service in 
the possession of H. M. the King of England, in Windsor 
Castle, is valued, according to Litchfield, at $500,000. Another 
service made for the Empress of Russia, in 1778, although of 
a later date than the most prized period, is highly valued. 
About 160 pieces were stolen during a fire at the Trasknoe 
Selo palace and sold in England. Although most of them 
were repurchased later on by Emperor Nicholas, some pieces 
occasionally come up for sale, and a single plate will easily 
bring $750 or more. Perhaps the most valued color on old 
Sevres is the famous pink called Rose Du Barry, or more 
properly Pompadour, which was discontinued about 1760. 
A pair of Rose Pompadour vases sold as far back as 1857 in 
the Bernal sale for $9,710, and would fetch considerably more 
now. These two vases are in the Wallace collection. Blue 
de roi and turquoise are also very much sought after. 
Practically all specimens of old porcelaine tendre are 
placed in collections or museums. The high prices paid for it 
at all times, even at the time of its fabrication, had for natural 
result to create a special industry, the manufactory of coun- 
terfeit old Sevres, as, in fact, has been the case for all rare and 
valuable keramics. The quantity of ' spurious old Sevres 
which is constantly thrown on the French. English and 
American markets can hardly be imagined, most of it so 
inferior to the originals as to deceive only the most ignorant. 
However some very clever reproductions are made. The best 
and most difficult to detect are the pieces decorated at the 
beginning of this century on genuine soft paste of Sevres. 
In 1804, after the manufacture of porcelaine tendre was dis- 
continued and replaced by the hard paste, the Director, 
Brongniard, badly in need of money to pay his workmen, sold 
all the soft paste in stock. This was decorated by very clever 
artists and sold as Sevres, and specimens are found in some of 
No. 2. 
SEVRES VASES. 
' La Porcelaine Tendre 
No. 1. Vase Calice, Ope 
land. Buckingham Pal 
mednllions natural col. 
No. 2. Vase Ralustre— Collect 
i'res," by E. Gamier. 
Work Cover— Collection of H. M. the King of Bng- 
i; painted by Morin. Ground bleu de roi, gold scrolls, 
. Vas 
E C 
alice— Collect 
round 
blci 
de 
roi and gol 
edalli 
ans 1 
latu 
ral colors. 
of A. de Rothschild. Ground bleu d 
f Sir Richard Wallace 
ted by Morin. 
: (a pi >le green), 
the best collections, among them, it is claimed, the Sevres 
china of the King of England at Windsor Castle. However 
well decorated, this counterfeit Sevres can be detected with a 
little experience, first from the use of chrome green in 
bouquets and landscapes. Before 1804, and consequently on 
all old Sevres, the green used was copper oxide, but about at 
that time it was found that chrome oxide gave a richer green 
and of better glazing qualities, and it rapidly took the place 
of the old green. The decorators of the undecorated paste 
of Sevres did not think of this. Their chrome green is warmer 
and yellower than the copper green and has not the metallic 
shine of the green on genuine old Sevres. This difference is 
