It is the beginning of the holiday season, so naturally we start using our favorite antique china collections on our tables to add a loving, personal touch to these festive settings. Antique china ~ accented with gold and hand-painted with vibrant floral designs such as this amazing Vieux Paris, or perhaps an Old Paris porcelain china service ~ will make a striking centerpiece to any Holiday Coffee or Afternoon Tea celebration!
What is known as Vieux Paris porcelain has been created by over 30 different artisan factories in Paris and the area surrounding the city, beginning in the 1700’s and continuing through the 1870s. Remarkably, this porcelain usually has no identifiable marks, but the delicate nature of this china and its Parisian quality is unmistakable, and can be recognized by shapes, styles and decoration. The height of production during the Louis Philippe and Napoleon III Periods saw the creation of decorative pieces that appealed to the elite of France, and that were found in the most lavish and fashionable homes, townhouses and apartments of Paris and throughout the countryside.
Hand-painted Vieux Paris porcelain coffee set.
This perfectly-preserved Vieux Paris porcelain coffee set was a real find for us, since we’ve seen so few of late, especially sets in such impeccable condition. With beautifully hand-painted porcelain embellished with an elegant floral design ~ each piece is a work of art. Every single porcelain dish has been meticulously crafted by hand using traditional methods dating back to 18th century Paris. Then, each has been painted with vibrant roses, violets, forget-me- nots and other floral sprays. An opulent gold leaf hand-applied border decoration completes the captivating motif. This coffee service was designed as an fashionable table setting during the period of Napoleon III in the middle of the 19th century.
Paris, circa 1850’s
Measurements:
Coffee Pot 9.5 x 9 x 6.5
Creamer 4 x 5 x 4
Sugar Bowl 5 x 7 x 5
Cups (6) 2.5 x 3.5 x 2.5
Saucers (6)1 x 5
Dessert Plates (6) 1 x 5
Bon Bon Dishes (2) 1 x 8 x 4
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This grand Louis Philippe eight-door bookcase, called by the French a bibliothèque, was meticulously hand-crafted from solid cherry wood, harvested from old-growth trees that no longer produced fruit. French artisans seasoned the wood for years to ensure its stability to last for generations, then sculpted it into such beautiful specimens as you see before you in this superlative example using time-honored joinery methods handed down from generation to generation, such as the hand-made pegged mortise & tenon joints that remain as tight as the day they were first fashioned. The clean lines of the Louis Philippe style stand out, yet provide no competition for the sheer natural beauty of the aged wood, exuding its refined age with the patina acquired over the course of a century and a half!
