The most important French porcelain factory was founded in 1740 in the Royal château of Vincennes. In 1756 it transferred to Sèvres, on the other side of Paris, and shortly afterwards was bought by Louis XV at the request of his mistress Madame de Pompadour. This Sèvres porcelain teapot in the ‘Calabre’ form was painted by Antoine Joseph Chappuis. It is brilliantly decorated with a pink and blue faux-marble ground and a cartouche with an exotic blue bird. Chappuis, who was employed at the factory from 1761- 1787, specialised in painting birds and flowers and his mark ‘cp’ can be found on the base of this pot.
Pink marbled decoration was especially fashionable between 1761-63 and was intended for the factory’s most fashionable and discerning clients, particularly the court at Versailles. This finish required a complex, multi-step application of ground colours, followed by refined line work. The initial rose ground was covered with a lustrous cobalt blue, which was then partially removed to reveal the pink undercoat. The shape of this teapot was made in five sizes, of which this is an example of the fifth and smallest size.
