There were 2 editions of this service. The first was given by Napoleon to Alexander I of Russia in 1808. This second one consisting of 72 plates was made in 1810-1812 for Empress Josephine as a divorce present from Napoleon, but she rejected it, as she considered the design to be too severe. The service, then remained at the factory until 1818 when it was given by Louis XVIII to Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington for his assistance in helping to restore the Bourbon monarchy.
The plates’ views are from illustrations by Vivant Denon (1747-1825) for the published description of his journey to Egypt during Bonaparte’s 1798 campaign, Voyage dans la Basse et la Haute Egypte (1802). Denon was an artist, curator and author who worked in Italy and France and was Napoleon’s Minister of Arts and first director of the Musée Napoléon (Louvre) (1802-15).
As leading experts on antique European porcelain, we provide FREE online appraisals of service ware produced by Sevres factory during 19th century. If you happen to own a Sevres plate from this or any other service and would like to find out its current market value, CONTACT US. We’ll be glad to assist.
