Sèvres - Power, Porcelain & Prestige
May 13, 2026
56 min
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Episode 7 · May 13, 2026
Sèvres - Power, Porcelain & Prestige
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56:22This episodeSèvres - Power, Porcelain & Prestige
Summary
In this episode Paul and Stephanie discuss how Louis XV and Madame de Pompadour, and Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette's passion for porcelain created one of the most famous and revered names in the history of ceramics, Sèvres.
Ceramics and artwork in this week’s episode include:
Tureen (Japanese Kakiemon style), 1725–51, Chantilly Porcelain Manufactory
Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Tureen, 1749–50, Vincennes Porcelain Manufactory
Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Madame de Pompadour, 1756, François Boucher
Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Madame de Pompadour, 1759, François Boucher
Postcard – Sèvres – National Sèvres Manufactory – Gilding Workshop
Wikimedia Commons (French Open Licence 1.0)
Dinner Plate, 1788, Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory
Tureen (Rococo Style), 1758, Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory
Courtesy of The Met Collection
Bleu Céleste Vase, 1779, Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory
Walters Art Museum, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, Circa 1890 Charles Louis Müller
Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)
Bleu Céleste Dinner Plates (Manchester Service), 1776–83, Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory
The Louis XVI Dinner Service, 1783—93 , Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory
"To see images of the artworks in this episode go to heni.com/thehistoryofceramics or visit the Heni Talks YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@HENITalks"
Hosts: Paul Greenhalgh & Stephanie Rozene
Additional Research: Catherine Ingram
Editor: Alessandro Ruocco
Executive Producer: Emma Cahusac
Chapters
00:00:00 Introduction: Power, Porcelain and Prestige at Sèvres
00:02:02 The European Porcelain Race and France's Soft-Paste Experiments
00:07:07 The Birth of Vincennes: Defectors and Royal Patronage
00:09:25 Madame de Pompadour: The Power Behind Sèvres
00:13:30 The Move to Sèvres and Royal Ownership
00:14:43 Inside the Sèvres Factory: Division of Labor and Craftsmanship
00:24:42 The Rococo Style: Opulence and Decadence
00:27:38 Porcelain as Diplomatic Currency: The Bedford and Manchester Services
00:31:46 Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette Take the Throne
00:40:10 The Most Extravagant Service Ever Made
00:45:59 Revolution and the Fall of the Monarchy
00:48:44 Sèvres Survives: From Royal to National Manufactory
00:52:40 Napoleon and the Continuing Legacy of Sèvres