The Sèvres Manufactory made two ink-stands of this model, one with gold decoration (shown here) and one without it. Very little is known about them: no archival documentation or preparatory drawings have been preserved. They were made in 1802, the year following the end of France’s so-called Egyptian Campaign, in which Napoleon Bonaparte’s army invaded Egypt and Syria accompanied by many prominent scholars, including archaeologists, engineers, and scientists.

Like many decorative objects from this period, these inkstands are inspired by antique styles without faithfully reproducing their sources. It was only after the publication in 1802 of the Voyage dans la Basse et dans la Haute Égypte (Travels in Upper and Lower Egypt) by Dominique-Vivant Denon (1747–1825), an artist, diplomat, and archaeologist, that French decorative objects featured more accurate representations of Egyptian art and hieroglyphic writing.

This object faithfully copies the “shell” (actually an egg case) of an argonaut, a distinct genus of octopus and distant relative of the nautilus. This form was first produced in 1810 as an inkstand and a lamp and then transformed into a sugar bowl. The bright purple color makes it particularly appealing, but the manufactory also produced examples in white and gold. Curiously, the argonaut egg case closely resembles the shell of an extinct ammonite, which might explain its appeal to its probable creator, Alexandre Brongniart, an accomplished scientist who had studied both zoology and paleontology.

Alexandre-Evariste Fragonard provided many new designs for the Sèvres Manufactory, not only for table services and vases but also for novel types of decorations. Fragonard was an excellent draftsman and a capable sculptor, responsible for both the drawing and the model for this Renaissance Vase. 

While the preparatory drawing clearly evokes the spirit of the Renaissance, the gold and matte biscuit decoration of this extraordinary object exemplifies the liberty with which nineteenth-century artists interpreted historical models.

This highly original cream jug, whose form derives from an ancient drinking horn known as a rhyton, is one of many collaborations between sculptor and painter Alexandre-Evariste Fragonard (worked at Sèvres, 1805–42), son of the celebrated eighteenth-century painter Jean-Honoré Fragonard (1732–1806), and the sculptor Jean Charles Nicolas Brachard (Brachard aîné). Fragonard provided the drawing while Brachard aîné translated it into a three-dimensional model. Like many vessels that adapt this ancient form, the jug is ornamented with the head of a cow in reference to the container’s intended contents.

Sculptor Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse was director of artworks at Sèvres from 1876 until 1887. He designed an impressive number of new shapes, mainly for vases. Some of these had smooth surfaces on which decorators could express their creativity, like the Saïgon Vase with decoration by Auguste Rodin. Other vases were ornamented, either with sculptural details or with figures. Carrier-Belleuse also created functional wares and traditional sculptures.

In 1883, more than a decade after the establishment of the Third Republic, Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse designed a very small seated figure of La République, an allegorical figure representing the Republic, for the cover of a Vase Ledoux Patriotique, which he subsequently enlarged. In 1884, to accommodate the wishes of the manufactory’s director, Charles Lauth, he once more adjusted the model, producing the final version presented here.

This figure wears the Phrygian cap, which was adopted as a symbol of liberty and republicanism during the French Revolution, and armor emblazoned with the head of Medusa, symbolic of victory. Inscribed on the stand are RF for République Française and LA LOI, affirming the importance of the law, rather than the rule of kings or emperors, for both France and the Sèvres Manufactory.

Sculptor Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse designed this Saïgon Vase with a smooth surface, leaving ample space for the skill and imagination of decorator Auguste Rodin. In June 1879 Carrier-Belleuse invited Rodin, who had been his student, to work at Sèvres as a modeler, work he continued until 1882. Despite working part-time, in a period of only a few months Rodin decorated eighteen vases and developed a new technique that allowed him to engrave directly in the raw paste while also adding relief. On this vase, he used this technique to depict allegories of the elements featuring infants.