Enamel Ewer

Date

1849

Creator

The director of Sèvres, Alexandre Brogniart, invited the Parisian enameller Jacob Meyer-Heine to the manufactory to experiment with "new" forms and techniques that hearkened back to the glory days of Francis I, who reigned in France from 1515–1547. The results were successful and Meyer-Heine was hired by Sèvres to produce Renaissance Revival, Limoges-style enamel wares. Because this particular ewer with its distinctive grisaille decoration and its impressive scale was among the earliest and most compelling to come off the production line, it was featured in exhibitions and was well documented in the press. It was reproduced and described in L’Illustration, on May 25, 1850, and the sources of the decorative elements on the body of the ewer are recorded in the Sèvres Archives. from Calendar of Events, Winter 2021