Skip to main content

Compotier from the Rittener Service: C.195-1918

An image of Dish

Terms of use

These images are provided for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons License (BY-NC-ND). To license a high resolution version, please contact our image library who will discuss fees, terms and waivers.

Download this image

Creative commons explained - what it means, how you can use our's and other people's content.

Alternative views

Object information

Current Location: Gallery 26 (Lower Marlay)

Titles

Compotier from the Rittener Service

Maker(s)

Factory: Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory
Painter: Commelin, Michel-Gabriel
Gilder: Vincent, Henry-François

Entities

  • Dish
  • Factory name: compotier

Categories

Description

Soft-paste porcelain painted in polychrome enamels with a central bunch of flowers and foliage, surrounded by floral borders, and gilded.

Soft-paste porcelain painted in blue, green, pink, and pinkish-red, enamels, and gilded. Circular with deep, curved sides, standing on a low footring in which there is a suspension hole. In the centre there is a bunch of flowers, comprising three pinkish-red roses, a rosebud, several stems of blue cornflowers, and green leaves, surrounded by two concentric blue lines linked at intervals by eight pairs of slanting wavy gold lines. The sides have a wide border comprising concentric bands of decoration as follows: (a) Groups of three flower stems, a blue, a pink, and a blue cornflower, alternating with a pinkish-red rose, a blue cornflower, and a pinkish-red rose, divided from each other by a green stylised plant. (b) Above and below (a), a narrow blue line and a series of stylised pinkish-red flowers on green stalks, divided from each other by diagonal pinkish-red lines. (c) Above and below (b), a narrow gold line, a blue line, and a wider gold line.

Notes

History note: Unknown before donor, Ralph Hare Griffin (1854-1941)

Legal notes

Given by Ralph Griffin, MA, FSA

Measurements and weight

Diameter: 20.8 cm
Height: 4.7 cm

Place(s) associated

  • Sèvres ⪼ France

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Given (1918-08-28) by Griffin, Ralph

Dating

18th Century, Late
Louis XVI
Production date: circa AD 1791 : The oo date mark indicates 1791 rather than 1792

Note

Deep serving dishes described as 'compotiers' were made in several shapes from the Vincennes period onwards. This is almost certainly one of four 'compotiers ronds' costing 24 livres each which formed part of a dinner and dessert service purchased by Enoch Rittener, a London china merchant, in March 1791. The design is similar to no. 115 in the factory's Album of Plate Designs.

The gilder, Henry-François Vincent's mark 2000, was a pun on his name. He worked at Vincennes frm 1753 and retired in 1800.

The painter, Michel-Gabriel Commelin (1746-1802), worked at the factory from 1766 or 1768 until 1800 when he was dismissed. He was reinstated in 1801 and died in 1802. On 15 January 1791, he was paid 6 livres for painting four compotiers ronds for the service purchased by Rittener. These cost 24 livres each.

School or Style

Louis XVI

Components of the work

Decoration composed of enamels ( blue, green, pink, dark pink and black) gold
Glaze composed of lead-glaze ( presumed lead-glaze)

Materials used in production

Soft-paste porcelain

Techniques used in production

Moulding : Soft-paste porcelain, painted in blue, green, pink, dark pink, and black enamels, and gilded

Inscription or legends present

  • Text: 31
  • Location: On base
  • Method of creation: Incised underglaze
  • Type: Incised mark
  • Text: interlaced Ls with oo above
  • Location: On base
  • Method of creation: Painted in blue enamel
  • Type: Factory mark

Inscription present: joined lower case letters

  • Text: cm
  • Location: On base below the factory mark
  • Method of creation: Painted in blue enamel
  • Type: Painter's mark
  • Text: 2000
  • Location: On base to right of factory mark
  • Method of creation: Painted in gold
  • Type: Gilder's mark

References and bibliographic entries

Identification numbers

Accession number: C.195-1918
Primary reference Number: 86627
Stable URI

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Wednesday 13 January 2021 Last processed: Friday 8 December 2023

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Applied Arts

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "Compotier from the Rittener Service" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/86627 Accessed: 2024-03-28 13:12:45

Citation for Wikipedia

To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:

{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/86627 |title=Compotier from the Rittener Service |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-03-28 13:12:45|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

API call for this record

To call these data via our API (remember this needs to be authenticated) you can use this code snippet:

https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/api/v1/objects/object-86627

Bootstrap HTML code for reuse

To use this as a simple code embed, copy this string:

<div class="text-center">
    <figure class="figure">
        <img src="https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/aa/aa23/C_195_1918.jpg"
        alt="Compotier from the Rittener Service"
        class="img-fluid" />
        <figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">Compotier from the Rittener Service</figcaption>
    </figure>
</div>
    

More objects and works of art you might like

Compotier carré

Accession Number: C.29B-1961

Teapot

Accession Number: C.11A-1988

Milk jug

Accession Number: C.11C-1988

Compotier carré

Accession Number: C.29A-1961

Suggested products from Curating Cambridge

You might be interested in this...

Sign up for updates

Updates about future exhibitions and displays, family activities, virtual events & news. You'll be the first to know...