A 19th-century French chromolithograph of two Sèvres porcelain services in rose Pompadour, from Édouard Garnier's celebrated study of Sèvres soft-paste porcelain. The rose ground was introduced at Sèvres in 1757 and named for Madame de Pompadour, the manufactory's great patron. Above, a shaped tray, plate, cup, covered pot, and squared bottle are set with white reserves painted with trophies of music and arms tied with ribbons and flowers. Below, a breakfast service of tray, sugar bowl, milk jug, and cup and saucer is painted with scattered bouquets within scrolling gold rocaille. The Sèvres interlaced L mark with the date letter H, for 1760, is printed between the two. It is framed in gilt modern frame with a rope twist edge and a beaded inner border, and it is lovely in a dressing room, a dining room, or a feminine sitting room.
Chromolithography was the finest color printing process of the 19th century. Each color was drawn by hand onto its own limestone block, and the sheet was pressed against every stone in turn, sometimes a dozen or more, with each impression aligned precisely over the last. Here the gold was printed in metallic ink so it catches the light as gilding would.
- Origin: France
- Age: Late 19th century (Circa 1880)
- Medium: Chromolithograph with metallic gold on paper
- Details: Two Sèvres rose Pompadour services with painted reserves and gold rocaille, reproduced Sèvres mark; gilt frame with rope twist and beaded edge, glazed
- Dimensions: 13.5 by 18.5
- Condition: Good antique condition with light toning to the paper consistent with age.
