Sophie von der Goltz
Head of Sale
The Richard Deacon Collection
Lot 93*
A Sèvres bleu-céleste ground plate from the service for the baron de Breteuil, dated 1768
2 December 2025, 13:00 GMT
London, New Bond Street£2,000 - £3,000
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Nette Megens
Head of Department, Director
Sebastian Kuhn
Department Director
Raphael Machiels
Associate Specialist
Ghislaine Howard
Sale Coordinator
A Sèvres bleu-céleste ground plate from the service for the baron de Breteuil, dated 1768
The well painted by Antoine-Joseph Chappuis (le jeune) with a bird in a landscape, titled 'Caille de la Chine' in black on the reverse, the blue ground rim reserved with three cartouches enclosing flowers surrounded by gilt scrolls and floral garlands, 24.8cm across, interlaced LL monogram enclosing date letter p in blue, painter's mark "cp" in blue (scattered minor wear)
Footnotes
Provenance:
Purchased by Louis-Charles-Auguste Le Tonnelier, baron de Breteuil, on 16 April 1768
Louis-Charles-Auguste Le Tonnelier, baron de Breteuil (1730-1807), was the French Minister-Plenipotentiary to Cologne 1758-59, to Russia 1760-63, Ambassador to Sweden 1763-1767, Ambassador to The Netherlands 1768-69, Ambassador-Extraordinary to the Two Sicilies 1772-74 and Ambassador to Austria 1775-83. During that time, he was an integral part of the Secret du Roi, Louis XV's secret reporting network of diplomats. Upon his return from Austria he became the ministre et sécretaire d'Etat de la Maison du Roi (Secretary of State to the King's household). He was appointed Prime Minister on 12 July 1789, two days before the Bastille was stormed and subsequently left the country with other Royalists. While in exile, he acted as Prime Minister-in-Exile on behalf of the royal family, negotiating with other European monarchies and organising the family's failed attempt to flee Paris in 1791. After Marie-Antoinette's execution in 1793, he retired into private life near Hamburg, but returned to France in 1802, where he died five years later.
The service included 96 dinner plates at a price of 36 livres each and was accompanied by a group of teawares described as "filet d'or." For a detailed discussion about the service and a list of pieces in public collections, see David Peters, Sèvres Plates and Services, 2005, revised edition 2015, vol. II, no. 68-1, pp. 395f. It is likely that a substantial part of the service was formerly in the 19th century collection of Count A D Sheremetev and offered in 1906 by Asher Wertheimer, together with other bleu-céleste ground pieces (Peters, p. 395).