University of London Thesis
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
280966364X REFERENCE ONLY UNIVERSITY OF LONDON THESIS Degree ^ earT O O ^ Name of Author J ^ aa-Q. COPYRIGHT J This is a thesis accepted for a Higher Degree of the University of London. It is an unpublished typescript and the copyright is held by the author. All persons consulting this thesis must read and abide by the Copyright Declaration below. COPYRIGHT DECLARATION I recognise that the copyright of the above-described thesis rests with the author and that no quotation from it or information derived from it may be published without the prior written consent of the author. LOANS Theses may not be lent to individuals, but the Senate House Library may lend a copy to approved libraries within the United Kingdom, for consultation solely on the premises of those libraries. Application should be made to: Inter-Library Loans, Senate House Library, Senate House, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HU. REPRODUCTION University of London theses may not be reproduced without explicit written permission from the Senate House Library. Enquiries should be addressed to the Theses Section of the Library. Regulations concerning reproduction vary according to the date of acceptance of the thesis and are listed below as guidelines. A. Before 1962. Permission granted only upon the prior written consent of the author. (The Senate House Library will provide addresses where possible). B. 1962-1974. In many cases the author has agreed to permit copying upon completion of a Copyright Declaration. C. 1975-1988. Most theses may be copied upon completion of a Copyright Declaration. D. 1989 onwards. Most theses may be copied. This thesis/comes within category D. This copy has been deposited in the Library o f U CL This copy has been deposited in the Senate House Library, Senate House, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HU. Unlikely Citizens? The Manufacturers of Sevres Porcelain and the French Revolution Emily J. Richardson PhD Thesis undertaken at University College London, submitted to the University of London, November 2007 i UMI Number: U592345 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Dissertation Publishing UMI U592345 Published by ProQuest LLC 2013. Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Abstract: This thesis aims to reintegrates the history of the manufactory of Sevres porcelain with that of the French Revolution, in the hope of better understanding them both. Realistically the two cannot be detached, though accounts of this decade in the manufactory’s existence often belie this by omitting the events of the period from their narrative. Yet the revolution did not happen at arms-length from the manufactory but in and around it and, as I will argue, the Sevrian’s relationship with events was two-way, involved and dynamic. Thus as well as exploring the impact that the revolution had on the manufactory (precipitating the collapse of the luxury industries and prompting the emigration of their primarily aristocratic clientele), I will examine the strategies deployed by S&vres’ administration to cope with and adapt to changed circumstances. I will also argue that, despite their pedigree as employees of a manufacture royale, Sevres’ workforce met the challenges of the period pro-actively, embracing the revolution in words and actions that will be analysed here. Sevres’ production of (and the market for) revolutionary porcelain will also be discussed at length. Yet all this precludes that the manufactory survived in the first place, which could not have been assumed. Aside from the financial difficulties the revolution caused them, the intensely hostile climate to all things regal, all things luxurious and privileged could presuppose their swift demise. As such, the manufactory’s negotiation of the period is remarkable, and their continued existence under a regime that publicly aspired to Spartan values and aesthetics not untouched by paradox. Why revolutionary governments representing values diametrically opposed to those embodied by Sevres nevertheless exempted it from annihilation will be questioned. Similarly, the reasons they subsequently supported the manufactory, whose products maintained many of their trademark characteristics and were of little practical use to them, will be investigated. 2 Table of Contents: Pages: Title Page 1 Abstract 2 Table of Contents 3 Acknowledgements 5 List of Illustrations 8 Introduction 27 Chapter I: The Ancien Regime • Introduction 38 • Porcelain: Fitting for Kings 40 • ‘Pretty things that will always be thought so’ 55 • Porcelain props: performing pedigree and power 59 • ‘Whilst the bakers make the bread, the bread makes the bakers’ 65 • One man’s privilege is a prejudice against another 77 Chapter II: 1789 - 10th August 1792 • Introduction 85 • The administration of the manufactory: steering Sevres through rocky waters 89 • Rococo to revolution? Changes and continuities in Sevres’ oeuvre 99 • Breaking the mould: the workers as revolutionaries / revolutionary workers 122 Chapter III: 10th August 1792 - 9th Thermidor an II • Introduction 133 3 • Conservation by the State: (conflicting) motivations for the preservation of Sevres 138 • An inversion of the hierarchy: workers become masters 146 • Worker involvement in local patriotic clubs and the military 153 • Revolutionary Sevres porcelain and the problems and paradoxes inherent 160 • Political engagement of and uses for Sevres sculptural output 167 Chapter IV: Thermidor, Directoire, Consulat • Introduction 183 • Desperation and hunger fuels rebellion at Sevres 189 • Governmental usage of Sevres porcelain 198 • Governmental administration and reform of the Manufactory of Sevres 206 • Soliciting trade: making Sevres porcelain marketable in a new (post Terror) 211 age Chapter V/Conclustion: Empire 229 Illustrations 245 Bibliography 382 4 Acknowledgements: Over the course of the last four years I have benefited from the assistance and support of many people, without whose help I could not have completed this thesis. It is with great pleasure that I thank them here. A definite perk of the job has been the regular trips to Paris that I have needed in order to research my subject, each of which was made possible by the generosity of a number of different bodies and organisations. I would like to acknowledge the Central Research Committee (University of London), the Graduate School and the History of Art Department of University College London and the French Porcelain Society for having funded my time in Paris. I would like to thank Marina Urquidi for her hospitality and friendship during each of these stays. Return trips to the city have always felt like coming home as a result of her warmth and that of her family and friends, and for this I thank them very much. Whilst in Paris I benefited from the assistance of the staffs of the Bibliotheque Nationale and the Archives Nationale. Madame Rosalind Hurel was extremely kind in making the Musee Camavalet’s reserve collections available to me, as did Bertrand Rondot of the Musde des Arts Decoratifs. Madame Rastine and Jeannet assisted me greatly (and with great humour) in the municipal archives of Sevres. Madame Tamara Preaud and her colleagues Florence and Isabelle were unfailingly helpful at the Archives of the Manufactory of S&vres. I must here pause to single out Madame Preaud for her kindness towards me, and for having given so generously of her time and knowledge throughout the duration of my work. In London the staffs of the British Library, the National Art Library, the Warburg Institute, the Institute of Historical Research, Senate House, University College London library and the Wallace Collection library have all been fantastic. Thanks also to Hilary Young of the Victoria and Albert museum, for allowing me the privilege of viewing close-up and photographing pieces from their collections. I have been extremely fortunate to undertake my thesis in the History of Art Department of University College London. The standard of work being carried out 5 there by staff and fellow students has been nothing short of inspiring, and has forced me to continually push myself and to think ambitiously about my subject and about the discipline of art history. Helen Weston and Tom Gretton have provided sure leadership during my time as a postgraduate in the capacity of heads of department and as my first and second supervisors. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Helen, who has taught me during seven of my eight years at UCL: it to a great degree thanks to her that they have been so happy and productive. The fact that she continued to supervise my work after her retirement I believe speaks volumes about her characteristic generosity and her unfailing commitment to her students, and to the discipline which she has helped shape. She has been the most excellent and complete teacher that one could hope for. Huge thanks to Tom also. The extent of his encyclopaedic knowledge (which has never failed to amaze), and his willingness to share nuggets from it in the classroom and, of a Thursday evening, in the pub, has enriched the theses of many postgraduates, not least mine. I would also like to thank my colleagues within the department for their intellectual support, and perhaps more importantly, their friendship, which I have valued enormously: thanks in particular to Sam, Olivia, Mercedes, Bamaby, Ed, Janice and Stina. My co-editors at Object, too numerous to name here, have always been wonderful fun to work with, and have convinced me of the fact that the best ideas do not always happen in the meeting room! This chapter of my life cannot be closed without thanking deeply Amy Mechowski, Kristen Hutchinson, Mary Hunter and Catherine Clinger, Richard Taws and Thomas Latham for their wonderful friendship.