Richard White
@rhwhite
NYC-based 18th-century porcelain and decorative art collector showing photos of the crazy stuff he's bought over the years. Runner, too.
A trompe l'oeil painting of a grouping of blue and white faience on recessed shelves. Not that old, late 20th century, but not a bad substitute for a small collection. I don't own any earthenware pieces like this so at least I get to admire a representation. (see ALT)
On November 9th Linda Roth of the Hartford Atheneum will be speaking to the Connecticut Ceramics Circle on the works of Taxile Doat vs. Kate Malone, 100 years apart. This is an image of an astounding stoneware bowl by Kate Malone that will be discussed, a sneak peak of what we'll see. (ALT).
On this date in 1793 the 'interlaced double L' mark that Sèvres had used was replaced with 'RF' for the new République Française. What was once owned by the crown was now owned by the republic, and still is today. Here's an example of the mark appearing on this cup from 1794. (see ALT)
Just your typical Sèvres lobed tray (soucoupe à pied), circa 1764. For displaying ice cups, holding dried fruit or snacks during the dessert service. Sprays of flowers!
A Liverpool 'soapstone' porcelain teapot, the Philip Christian Company, circa 1775. Decorated with ‘Palm Leaf and Column’ arched reserves and with sprays and bouquets of flowers. One of these with Japanese-inspired decoration is in the V&A. Bought this at auction a couple of years ago, a gift.
Happy Bastille Day, everybody. Also the day in 1789 when a not-very-prescient King Louis wrote about the day in his diary: "rien". Well, it wasn't a dull day though perhaps it was at Versailles. Or Fontainebleau, which is where this Sèvres dinner plate was used. With 'Louis' cyphers in the center.
One of my favorite places in Paris, the Musée Jacquemart-André. Photos from my last visit there not long ago. The furniture is a bit jammed in but I'm not complaining, lots of 18th century pieces and a Winterhalter or two.
A Vincennes porcelain dinner plate circa 1750, decorated with a scene of a cupid grabbing onto or 'taming' a goat. An odd subject matter to use for a plate, but artists at the factory just copied etchings of cupids by Boucher et al and went with it. Haven't found the source of the design just yet.
A Sèvres coffee cup and saucer, circa 1780? Actually, it's pretending to be, it has a faked mark and the decoration is rather overdone. Nicely made, possibly by Samson, just about 120 years newer than the mark indicates.
A Chinese export porcelain lobed bowl, 19th century. I picked it up at auction two years ago; ex-collection of Madeleine Albright, Georgetown. It's decorated with these lovely mythical figures, they do have character. (see ALT)
Just felt like posting an old photo of myself with my robot childhood pal, taken a long, long time ago. 'Big Loo', as he was called, made by the Marx Toy Company (1964), like me is also still around.
These Sèvres porcelain coffee cups were made circa 1785, decorated with a popular 'dot' pattern that appeared on tea and coffee services. These are marked by the gilder Léopold Weydinger or a member of his family. The cup with the blue ground is smaller than the other, but still quite nice.
I help to put together lectures for the Connecticut Ceramics Circle and I'm lucky enough to receive images for upcoming events on Zoom. On December 7th we have Katharine Butler presenting selections from the amazing Butler Collection in Dorset, UK. This is a pair of incredible Qing 'pots' (see ALT)
On this date in 1749, the Bow Factory of New Canton is mentioned for the first time in public records on an insurance policy: "on the Essex side of Bow Bridge". This is a small tea bowl and saucer with applied decoration in imitation of Chinese 'blanc de chine' porcelain, made at Bow circa 1760.
Here's a version of the same 'Flying Fox' pattern (also seen on a Meissen bowl image I posted yesterday) on a scalloped saucer made at Chelsea circa 1752. A slightly more three-dimensional rendering than the Meissen 'fox'. That tail!
A Meissen hexagonal bowl with the 'Flying Fox' pattern, circa 1735. Beneath the 'fox' is a yellow squirrel chomping on red grapes while sitting on a banded hedge, a Kakiemon-inspired design. I own several pieces decorated with this pattern however this is a somewhat rare form.
A circa 1735 cup and leaf-shaped dish made at the Chantilly factory. Purchased yesterday at auction at Bonhams, London. Shipping to the U.S. sometime soon and you can bet the Trump tariffs will kick in as it arrives. A very small problem compared to many, many others created by DJT, admittedly.
Up for sale today at Bonhams in London is this crazy vase made at the Limehouse factory circa 1746-48. With a grotesque mask in the center, it's 20.5 cm tall and an auction estimate of £12,000-15,000. As the catalogue essay states: 'extraordinarily wacky'. More details in ALT.
Two soft-paste porcelain cups with handles and matching saucers, both with paneled and lobed rims; the saucer with a raised gallery, all decorated with bamboo, pine and prunus with banded hedges in the Japanese Kakiemon style. From the Saint-Cloud factory, circa 1740.
A small porcelain wine cooler (seau à bouteille) manufactured at Chantilly circa 1740, painted in polychrome colors in the kakiemon style. With twig branch handles on two sides and a brown-painted rim. Happy Hour awaits.
As the Bonhams auction catalogue states, a "superb" Bow chocolate pot and cover, circa 1756. Indeed it is, with lovely Kakiemon decoration. Just sold today for £950 (on the hammer, not to me) and worth the price. The handle is on the side, hiding in this profile image.
A Meissen dish, circa 1730, sold today at Sotheby's, Paris, in the first of three sales taken from the stock of Röbbig, Munich. I kept my paddle down as it reached 5500 euros (7,040 with charges). Painted with a scene from the life of Shiba Onkô, known also as the 'Hob in the Well' pattern. (ALT)
A porcelain soup bowl with everted handles with gilt highlights and notched cover with a branch finial, both decorated with swags of flowers tied with blue ribbons, gilt flowers and birds in landscapes. Decorated at The Hague factory, the porcelain from Tournai, circa 1785.
A fine porcelain bowl that appeared in Francesca John’s lecture on 18th century punch bowls, for the English Ceramics Circle last Thursday. Bonnie Prince Charlie, in blue.
A circa 1820 Meissen porcelain coffee can decorated with a gilt design of two cornucopia surrounding a scrolling W cypher and with gilt bands along the rim and above the base. Got this from a dealer last year because, well, the "W". Who knows where the rest of the coffee service is.
A British porcelain “bute”' form tea cup and plate painted in a blue and red gilt Imari-style pattern, later known as the so-called “dollar sign” or “dollar tree” pattern based on the red bisected line motif appearing twice on each piece. Several finely-gilt highlights, too. Spode, circa 1805.
Something else from the Bow factory, circa 1760: an assembled set of porcelain tea cups and a saucer decorated with raised prunus branches in imitation of unpainted 17th century Chinese blanc de chine and French 18th century forms and design.
A porcelain octagonal dish decorated with Kakiemon-inspired red and blue flowers in the "Two Quail" pattern, with a gilt iron-red foliate border along the rim. Made at the Bow factory, circa 1760. Slightly rough decoration; a popular pattern at Bow and at several other factories back then.
I bought this large tome at auction a few years ago: La Collection Wallace - Meubles et Objets d'Art Français by Émile Molinier (1903). Fine illustrations of furniture and works of art throughout but I admit I rather like the endpapers most of all.