"Seventeenth & Eighteenth Century French Porcelain" 1960 SAVAGE, George
$175
SAVAGE, George
[243] pp.
The Macmillan Company
1960
9" x 6 1/8"
Some of the most beautiful porcelain ever made was produced in France during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The French Court, following the example of Louis XIV, Louis XV and Madame de Pompadour, provided the money and patronage which made possible the exquisitely painted, superbly gilded products of such factories as Vincennes-Sevres, Chantilly and St. Cloud.
French porcelains are as much sought after in the twentieth century as they were in the eighteenth, and their value appreciates rapidly. It is all the more surprising then, that this book - George Savages's third about European porcelain - should be the first comprehensive work in its field since 1906.
The book begins with an account of the historical background, and the factories, the designers and their products are described throughout in a social and political context. The thorough, detailed information on fakes, forgeries and reproductions, and the eighteen-page appendix of porcelain marks, should help many a collector avoid expensive mistakes in a field where forgeries are more than common.
Illustrations include four colour plates and 214 black and white photographs. George Savage has an impressive knowledge of the chemistry and physics of porcelain-making and of details of design, colour and ornamentation. His entertaining style will make his highly technical book as satisfying to the beginner as to the expert.