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Paris porcelain saucer with map of the French Empire c.1806-1807
Description
Small plate or saucer in hard-paste porcelain, probably Paris, early nineteenth century, 16.3 cm diameter. Decorated with a highly detailed black printed map of Europe representing the political geography of the Napoleonic period, 1806-1807, within a gilt rim. The decoration belongs to the specialised French tradition of intaglio transfer printing and mechanical reduction developed during the Empire, most notably by François Gonord. The exceptionally reduced scale and fineness of the cartographic printing are particularly consistent with Gonord’s documented work, although an attribution to Gonord or his workshop remains unproven.
History & Context
During the First Empire, Paris became an important centre for experiments in printing engraved designs onto porcelain, a technique that allowed exceptionally detailed images to be reproduced with a precision difficult to achieve through painting alone. Among the leading practitioners was François Gonord, whose work was praised from 1807 for transferring and mechanically reducing engravings, including geographical maps, onto porcelain. This small unmarked plate, measuring only 16.3 cm in diameter, is decorated with an extraordinarily detailed black-printed map of Europe showing the political geography of the Napoleonic era. Its fine lettering, coastlines, rivers, cities and political divisions demonstrate the technical possibilities of this specialised form of decoration. The map appears to represent Europe during the early Empire and may preserve a cartographic state dating to around 1806–1807, although identification of the original engraved source is still under investigation. While its technique and subject are closely related to the documented work of Gonord, an attribution to his workshop cannot presently be confirmed.