This late 18th century French porcelain soup tureen is distinguished by the delicacy of its hand-painted cornflower decoration and the remarkable depth of its twilight blue enamel.
The distinctive color is known to collectors as Bleu d’Arras. Small cornflower sprigs are painted with a fine brush and placed across the surface with careful spacing, giving the decoration a refined and airy clarity.
Cornflowers were a favored naturalistic motif of the Louis XVI period, reflecting the late 18th century taste for botanical ornament.
The tureen is beautifully shaped, with a softly domed lid and an elegant branch-form finial that echoes the naturalistic decoration.
The rim follows a gently scalloped line, highlighted with a fine blue band that frames the creamy white porcelain ground.
Molded handles complete the form and give the piece a strong yet graceful profile.
The restrained placement of the decoration allows the porcelain body and the rich blue enamel to work together harmoniously, creating a composition that is both refined and visually engaging.
This tureen was made at the Arras porcelain factory circa 1780.
The Arras manufactory was founded in the 1770s by the Delemer sisters and operated for only about twenty years.
During that brief period the workshop became known for elegant forms and for the distinctive blue enamel used in its decoration.
Surviving examples are comparatively scarce, and pieces that display the characteristic Bleu d’Arras so clearly are particularly appealing to collectors.
The underside of the tureen bears the “AR” mark together with the flying bird device used by the Arras porcelain factory.Dimensions: 10.25″ diameter x 9″ height
Condition: Excellent, with some small original firing cracks along the outer edge of the cover
Decoration: Hand-painted cornflower sprigs in Bleu d’Arras blue
Material: Porcelain
Style: Louis XVI
Origin: Arras, France
Date: Circa 1780