Sèvres - Power, Porcelain & Prestige

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