Limoges Porcelain Gueridon, Baron JOURDAN, by LE TALLEC

Gueridon in hard-paste LIMOGES porcelain, the decoration designed and entirely hand painted in the Parisian workshops of LE TALLEC, with rich polychrome and gilt ornamentation.

The circular top is centred with a large polychrome floral bouquet, executed with great pictorial refinement. It is framed by broad deep blue borders embellished with gilt vine leaf friezes. The apron is rhythmically articulated with oval cartouches depicting birds in flight, alternating with flower baskets, against a sky blue ground enriched with scrollwork and garlands in fine gold.

The fully decorated tripod base reprises this ornamental vocabulary with remarkable variety of execution. Each floral and ornithological composition differs, both on the top and on the support, underscoring the unique and non repetitive nature of the decoration. The whole is enhanced by patinated bronze mounts with ribbon mouldings.

Marks and inscriptions
Under the top and beneath the base, manufactory mark and handwritten inscription:
‘Designed and entirely hand painted by LE TALLEC in Paris’,
together with a dedication indicating a ministerial destination, attesting to the official character of this piece.

Condition report
Very slight wear to the enamel and the gilding, consistent with the age and use of the piece. Very good overall condition.

Provenance
Diplomatic gift presented to a Minister of State, then preserved by family descent.


Biographical note

CAMILLE LE TALLEC

Camille LE TALLEC is born in Paris in 1906. A graduate of the École du Louvre, he submits in 1929 a thesis devoted to the eighteenth century porcelain of NAST. In 1930, he takes over the family workshop specialising in the decoration of LIMOGES porcelain, founded around 1905 and located in Paris, Villa Faucheur.

He transforms this studio into a centre of excellence, bringing together some thirty painters, custodians of the traditional skills of French porcelain painting of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Nourished by an in depth study of the models and techniques of the MANUFACTURE DE SÈVRES, LE TALLEC positions his work within this lineage, while never producing copies or pastiches, in accordance with his enduring motto:
‘Neither copies nor pastiches, simply work well done.’

Between 1930 and 1960, the reputation of the LE TALLEC manufactory extends to official and princely commissions. The workshop produces works for Queen ELIZABETH II of the United Kingdom, Kings MOHAMMED V and HASSAN II of Morocco, Queen JULIANA of the Netherlands, the SHAH OF IRAN MOHAMMAD REZA PAHLAVI, as well as for the FRENCH REPUBLIC and the CITY OF PARIS.

In 1990, the workshop is acquired by TIFFANY & CO. It ceases its activity definitively in 2014, after nearly ninety years of uninterrupted production. Camille LE TALLEC occupies a major position in the history of twentieth century French painted porcelain, as one of the most exacting continuators of the great decorative tradition.