The cuvette Courteille, designed to hold both fresh and porcelain flowers, was so named after the King’s representative at the Sèvres manufactory, Dominique-Jacques de Courteille, who held the post of commissaire du roi from 1751 until his death in 1767.

Marine scenes were popular decorative subjects during the 1760s. In this instance, six sailors are shifting cargo on a quayside. A distinctive feature of the vase is the elaborately tooled treble gilt frame enclosing the scene. An important distinction between gold band decoration of the 1750s and that of the 1760s and 1770s is in the treatment of the surface decoration. The latter was tooled and burnished to form geometric patterns, skilfully rendered to enhance the visual splendour of the vase.

Text adapted from French Porcelain for English Palaces, Sèvres from the Royal Collection, London, 2009