This late 18th-century French porcelain soup tureen and stand are distinguished by the delicacy of their hand-painted cornflower decoration and the remarkable depth of their 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, airy clarity.
The tureen is beautifully shaped in an oval form with softly molded handles and a domed lid finished with an elegant branch-form handle.
The stand follows the same gently scalloped outline and is painted to match, creating a harmonious composition in which the creamy white porcelain ground and the rich blue enamel work together beautifully.
The restrained placement of the decoration allows the quality of the porcelain and the depth of the blue to carry the design.
Cornflower motifs and naturalistic branch forms were fashionable in French porcelain during the last quarter of the 18th century, reflecting the refined botanical taste of the Louis XVI period.
The tureen’s elegant proportions and the painting’s lightness give the piece a composed, graceful presence on the table.
This tureen and stand were made at the Arras porcelain factory of the Delemers family, circa 1780.
The Arras manufactory operated for only about twenty years and became known for the distinctive blue enamel used in its decoration.
Surviving examples are comparatively scarce, and pieces that clearly display the characteristic Bleu d’Arras are especially appealing to collectors.
The underside of the tureen is marked with the letters “AR” for the Arras factory. The underside of the stand is marked “Dele AR,” identifying the Delemers family workshop.
Dimensions: 16″ wide x 13″ deep x 9.5″ tall
Condition: Excellent with some very light rubbing to the clear glaze on the stand
Price: $1,460
Decoration: Hand-painted cornflower sprigs in Bleu d’Arras blue
Material: Porcelain
Style: Louis XVI
Origin: Arras, France
Date: Circa 1780