Sévres porcelain centerpiece 1764, Nicolas Catrice

Sèvres porcelain centerpiece, 1764, Nicolas Catrice, 18th century
Height x width x depth: 28 x 38 x 24 cm.
In polychrome porcelain in sky blue and white reserves - with splendid floral decoration in intertwined garlands inside the large bowl and a large reserve on the front body with twigs and birds, surrounded by beautiful golden racemes - it undoubtedly belongs to the highly refined production of the Sevres Porcelain Manufactory, where it was painted in 1764 (date letter L inside the two crossed Ls) by Nicolas Catrice, who was a painter there from 1757 to 1774 and specialized in such decorative expressions (bouquets of flowers, garlands, and related accessories). In fact, at the top of the decoration mark he himself affixed and painted in blue (the two crossed Ls and the date letter inside), we find his
monogram, a sort of hooked cross or, if you will, two intersecting and adjacent letters S, also painted in blue. The original marks confirm what had already emerged from the examination of the ceramic body (typical Sèvres white, authentic sky blue, polychrome decorations, and gilding). An important addition to the work is an imposing and extremely elegant gilded bronze mount (with mercury, of course) of great finesse and craftsmanship, with masks on the side handles with undulating racemes and a base support with four large C-shaped volutes on an oval platform with polyhedral protuberances and double-cloven animal feet.