A Saint-Cloud figure of an actress, circa 1730-40

Footnotes

Provenance
The Collection of Charles Louis (1827-1893)
Maurice Pol-Roger, thence by descent
Sold Pescheteau-Badin, Paris, 28 March 2023, lot 229

Literature
White, Mary, People at the Whites' House, Vol.5, 2024, pp.74-5

The figure has a male counterpart which can be seen in the only other known coloured examples of these models, two pairs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, illustrated by Jeffrey Munger, European Porcelain in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2018, pp.146-148, no.45. A white pair is in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs and another is illustrated in Andreina d'Agliano et al., Brittle Beauty Reflections on 18th-century European Porcelain, 2023, no.37.

Jeffrey Munger observes that these porcelain models likely depict actors dressed as Chinese characters, a conclusion drawn primarily from the distinctive hat worn by the male figure and the bold Asian-inspired patterns adorning their robes (J. Munger, 2018, p.146). 'Le danseur chinois', a print after Boucher, has previously been suggested as a possible source but Errol Manners also suggests a plate from Olfert Dapper's Gedenkwürdige Verrichtung der Niederländischen Ost-Indischen Gesellschaft in dem Käiserreich Taising oder Sina, 1676, as an indirect source (see Andreina d'Agliano et al., 2023, no.37, figs.1 and 2), which would explain the more un-Chinese headdress of the female figure.

The figures have long been attributed to the Saint-Cloud manufactory, an attribution supported by the paste and clear lead glaze. However, Errol Manners presents a compelling alternative theory, suggesting that the workshop of François Barbin (1691–1765), operating in Paris, may have been responsible instead. Barbin, who later founded the Villeroy-Mennecy factory, is known to have employed a distinctive decorative technique involving underglaze cobalt blue, 'grand feu' and 'petit feu' enamels and gilding — similar to those seen on the Metropolitan Museum pairs and the coloured female figure in the present lot, though the gilding is absent here. While this technique was also used on some known Saint-Cloud pieces, lending weight to the traditional attribution, Barbin's known production of porcelain figures made for mounting adds nuance to the discussion, as these models may have originally been made to be mounted. Two pairs have gilt bronze mounts, one in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and another in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs. For Errol Manners' full discussion, see Andreina d'Agliano et al., 2023, no.37.

Important Notice to Buyers
Condition is not specified in the lot cataloguing. Please request a condition report.