Manufacture de Locré
9 pieces
Painted and gilded hard porcelain
Dimensions : D. 12 (cm.) for the saucers
Paris, circa 1810 - 1820
Underglaze mark in blue on the cup and T.G.C. Paris in iron red on the saucer
Very fine set of six cups and their saucers; a milk jug; a litron teapot and a sugar bowl with fine decoration of friezes of leaves and foliage in matt and burnished gilding and dark green. Very fine quality work, early 19th century. The T.G.C. Paris mark in iron red (which is not under the cover) is period but unidentified. This could be either one of the many anonymous whiteware decorators who bought the models from Locré or a retailer who ordered this model directly from the Manufacture.
The Locré factory
Founded in 1771 by a craftsman from Germany, it quickly became a place of excellence that lasted until 1830. Its products are recognisable by the blue underglaze mark of two intertwined torches.
Hard porcelain in Paris in the early 19th century
Unlike earthenware factories, porcelain factories flourished under the Empire, particularly in Paris. The period 1800-1820 can be considered the golden age of porcelain in Paris. There were nineteen porcelain factories in Paris in 1800, but only seven had been founded under the Ancien Régime: Dihl et Guérard, Houzel, Lemaire et Josse, Pouyat et Russinger, Schoelcher, Despréz et Nast.Unlike the last twenty years of the 18th century, which saw a shift from rocaille to antique simplicity, the first thirty years of the 19th century saw the opposite, moving from antique sobriety to rococo. The decoration on our plate bears witness to the virtuosity of the craftsmen in Paris in the early 19th century. The richness of the polychrome highlights also shows that this is a real quality piece.
Condition report: excellent condition, very fresh decoration. No accidents, cracks or other damage.