18th Century Sèvres Porcelain Box With Puiforcat Silver Mount

A refined French oval box combining 18th-century Sèvres porcelain with an elaborate later silver mount attributed to the renowned Parisian silversmith Puiforcat.

The porcelain body, dating from the Louis XVI period, is finely hand-painted on a white ground with delicate polychrome floral bouquets set within pale pink reserves outlined in red. These panels are connected by graceful swags and surrounded by slender green leafy branches, creating an elegant neoclassical composition. The interior is equally beautifully decorated with a finely painted bouquet of colorful flowers.

The underside bears a blue painted mark consistent with the interlaced L mark associated with the Sèvres manufactory. An old handwritten label preserved with the box attributes the painted decoration to Tandart, most probably referring to Jean-Baptiste Tandart l’Aîné (1729–1816), a documented Vincennes and Sèvres painter particularly known for flowers, bouquets, garlands and floral borders. The decoration of the present box is consistent with this field of work, although the attribution to Tandart has not been conclusively established and is therefore retained as an historic attribution.

The porcelain was subsequently fitted with an exceptionally decorative silver mount. The mount features a finely beaded border, chased geometric and foliate ornament and a richly worked hinged lid with scrolling foliage surrounding a textured central field and oval reserve. The visible French silver hallmarks appear consistent with the Minerva guarantee mark and a Puiforcat maker’s mark, indicating a later 19th-century silver mounting.

A particularly appealing object combining the delicacy of 18th-century Sèvres porcelain with the distinguished tradition of French silverwork.

Dimensions:
H. 5 cm (1.97 in)
L. 13 cm (5.12 in)
W. 7.5 cm (2.95 in)