Episode Details

In this episode Paul and Stephanie discuss how Louis XV and Madame de Pompadour, and Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette's passion for porcelain created one of the most famous and revered names in the history of ceramics, Sèvres.

Ceramics and artwork in this week’s episode include:

Tureen (Japanese Kakiemon style), 1725–51, Chantilly Porcelain Manufactory

Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Tureen, 1749–50, Vincennes Porcelain Manufactory

Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Madame de Pompadour, 1756, François Boucher

Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Madame de Pompadour, 1759, François Boucher

Postcard – Sèvres – National Sèvres Manufactory – Gilding Workshop

Wikimedia Commons (French Open Licence 1.0)

Dinner Plate, 1788, Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory

Tureen (Rococo Style), 1758, Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory

Courtesy of The Met Collection

Bleu Céleste Vase, 1779, Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory

Walters Art Museum, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, Circa 1890 Charles Louis Müller

Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)

Bleu Céleste Dinner Plates (Manchester Service), 1776–83, Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory

The Louis XVI Dinner Service, 1783—93 , Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory

"To see images of the artworks in this episode go to heni.com/thehistoryofceramics or visit the Heni Talks YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@HENITalks"

Hosts: Paul Greenhalgh & Stephanie Rozene

Additional Research: Catherine Ingram

Editor: Alessandro Ruocco

Executive Producer: Emma Cahusac

Chapters

• 00:00:00 Introduction: Power, Porcelain and Prestige at Sèvres
• 00:02:02 The European Porcelain Race and France's Soft-Paste Experiments
• 00:07:07 The Birth of Vincennes: Defectors and Royal Patronage
• 00:09:25 Madame de Pompadour: The Power Behind Sèvres
• 00:13:30 The Move to Sèvres and Royal Ownership
• 00:14:43 Inside the Sèvres Factory: Division of Labor and Craftsmanship
• 00:24:42 The Rococo Style: Opulence and Decadence
• 00:27:38 Porcelain as Diplomatic Currency: The Bedford and Manchester Services
• 00:31:46 Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette Take the Throne
• 00:40:10 The Most Extravagant Service Ever Made
• 00:45:59 Revolution and the Fall of the Monarchy
• 00:48:44 Sèvres Survives: From Royal to National Manufactory
• 00:52:40 Napoleon and the Continuing Legacy of Sèvres