Large Louis-Philippe Sèvres Porcelain Casket, 1848

A large Sevres porcelain casket box, signed scene painter, produced by the Manufacture nationale de Sèvres during the reign of Louis-Philippe I, circa 1840–1848, bearing palace and factory marks for the Château des Tuileries.

The casket is formed in a generous rectangular format and raised on four scrolled feet, its thick, weighty porcelain body indicating manufacture intended to support gilt-bronze mounting. The ground is a rich turquoise blue, applied with depth and clarity, contrasted by a burnished gilding in scrolling and foliate reserves.

The lid is centred with a finely painted pastoral scene, depicting an elegant seated couple in a classical garden setting, attended by musical instruments and flowering foliage. The scene is executed with delicate modelling, soft tonal transitions, and atmospheric depth, and is signed by the Sèvres painter G. Poitevin, active at the manufactory during the mid-19th century.

Additional painted landscape panels decorate the sides, weighing 1,400 gram, rendered in subdued tones that harmonise with the ivory-toned glaze of the porcelain body.

The underside bears three factory marks, including:
The red circular seal of the Château des Tuileries, indicating palace destination, The blue Louis-Philippe cipher of the Sèvres manufactory, And a green workshop mark, consistent with in-house decoration.

The warm, slightly ivory-hued glaze, the depth of the turquoise ground, and the precision of the gilding are all characteristic of Louis-Philippe-period Sèvres, distinguishing the piece from later 19th-century revival wares or Paris-decorated porcelain.

This casket represents a high-status example of French royal porcelain, combining painter-signed decoration, palace provenance, and impressive scale.

Objects of this quality were produced for official presentation, court use, or elite cabinet display, rather than for the open market.

Provenance:
Château des Tuileries (palace-marked), Sèvres manufactory.