Paris, Paris

I have just been spending the week in the beautiful city of Paris, so I thought to show you a top piece of Parisian beauty: a dessert service made by Feuillet in Paris in about 1835.

There were lots of porcelain factories in and around Paris in the 18th and 19th Century, and unlike the British factories, many did not each develop their own style, but sent their blanks to the decoration studios in Paris, who would then put them out into the market. Feuillet became one of the top decorators in the early 19th Century.

Jean-Pierre Feuillet was a genius of humble beginnings. He was born in 1777 as the son of the pastry chef for the Prince de Condé. The prince ran a school in his chateau outside Paris in Chantilly, and Jean-Pierre learned to paint there. In 1814 he set up his own porcelain decoration studio at the Rue de la Paix, under protection of the Prince.

Later his nephew extended this with a second studio nearby in the Impasse Sandrié. They used blanks from several Paris porcelain factories. The Atelier Feuillet would grow out to one of the best porcelain decoration shops in France, specially appointed as suppliers to the aristocracy, and churning out huge quantities of top-quality table ware, vases and other decorative items.

Today I am showing a stunning part-dessert service made in about 1835. It would originally have been much bigger, but these 8 plates and one comport are stunning enough for a modern home!

You can find this one, and many more dessert services, in my shop - and although many are not cheap, there are some that are more affordable so please have a look whatever your budget.

Have a wonderful weekend!