MENNECY c.1750 – 1760 French Soft-Paste Porcelain
An 18th Century Mennecy Moutardier (Mustard Pot) and Cover c.1750-1760. The Barrel Form with a and White Metal (almost certainly silver) Hinge and Thumb Piece. The Cover with a Convolvulus Form Finial. The Body and Cover. Decorated with Garden Flowers in Lose Arrangements. The Base with an Incised `D V` for the Duc de Villeroy.
SOLD
- Condition
- In very good condition, minor rubbing. The screw that attached the cover to the hinged thumb piece is missing.
- Size
- N/A
- Provenance
- N/A
- Stock number
- 23871
Photos
Information
Mennecy Porcelain :
The factory was started by Francois Barbin under the protection of Louis-François-Anne de Neufville, Duc de Villeroy (1695-1766). Barbin had been making faïence under Villeroy`s protection, he was also making porcelain in Paris from 1734/35. He had to move to the grounds of the Château de Villeroy, near the village of Mennecy (Île-de-France) in 1748 because Francois Barbin did not have letters of patent from the king and so was refused permission to produce porcelain in Paris. A monopoly was enforced with legal action taken to prevent anyone producing porcelain "in the manner of Saxony" (i.e. Meissen porcelain), this monopoly was granted to the manufacture of porcelain at Vincennes. Legal action was used to close down the Paris factory, this included impounding the porcelain and then reselling it. The earliest porcelain produced at Mennecy (1734-1748) is so far unidentified. The porcelain made after 1748 tends to be rather light and the glaze often has a pearl like appearance. Most of the production consists of small pieces of porcelain for the table and dressing sets, small boxes and small porcelain figures were made too. The pieces are often but not always marked with an incised `D V` to the base for the Duc de Villeroy. Mennecy porcelain was copied/faked by the 19th / 20th Paris firm of Sampson, these pieces also often carry the incised `D V` mark.