Sevres porcelain

King Louis XV, who is known as a very generous supporter of Fine Arts, purchased the majority of the items produced and also owned most of the shares in the Sèvres factory in 1745, and officially named the factory Manufacturer Royale du Porcelaine (the Royal Manufacturer of Porcelain). The goal of this porcelain production was to surpass the beauty and utility of the early Meissner, Berliner, and other porcelain wares.

However, the two styles (German and French) evolved in rather different directions, therefore a true competition was never noticeable.

In 1759, when it became apparent that the production did not turn out as profitable as the French King hoped it would, King Louis XV bought the factory in full, and declared it Royal property. He personally oversaw the manufacturing, and became the major client as well as his own sales executive. The factory gained its final name, Sèvres, from the name of the small village southwest of Paris. This was a convenient location for the King, as not only was Sèvres close to his palace in Versailles, but also close to the home of his favorite concubine, Madame de Pompadour who resided in the Chateau de Bellevue.

Before 1770 it was a soft-paste porcelain (pâte tendre), of underglaze decoration and alkaline glaze; subsequently it was a hard infusible porcelain, made of kaolin, with a feldspar glaze and an overglaze decoration. Delicacy and perfection of technique are dominant characteristics. Tableware shows flower and figure subjects on a white ground; clocks, vases, and plaques display panels or medallions on white with figures enclosed by ornate gold frames, the main ground being a brilliant color. Sometimes a diaper design in gold enriches the background. Generally the pattern of Sèvres ware followed the styles from the period of Louis XV through those of the 19th cent. In 1876 the factory was moved to new buildings near Saint-Cloud and is still in operation. Soft-paste porcelain was revived, and many new wares were introduced.