French Old Paris Veilleuse Teapot on Warming Stand Ornate Blank Hand Painted Roses c 1820 - 1850

Antiques : Ceramics, Porcelain : French

$800 USD
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This is a 19th century French Old Paris hard paste porcelain veilleuse, which is a demitasse teapot on a warming stand. The age is circa 1820 - 1850.

This type of veilleuse was popular with the French to give as a gift to the bride, and she used the veilleuse during her marriage for the final cup of tea before going to sleep. The base of the veilleuse holds a little tray, and the tray holds a small candle, and the candle keeps the tea in the little demitasse pot warm.

The veilleuse has four pieces. There is the base, the teapot, the lid to the pot, and a little tray (godet). I do not think the little tray is original to this veilleuse, but is a replacement and made at a later date.

The base is 7 ¼” high and about 5” by 5”. There are four curled feet and ornate swirls and curlicues highlighted in gold trim. On the ride side is the opening where the tray is inserted. On the upper sides are reticulated holes in the porcelain, where the light of the candle shines out, and so the veilleuse also is a small bedside table lamp or night time lamp. The front of the base has two hand painted flowers, one is pink and the other is blue, with some green leaves. There are more flowers in gold designs. There are flaws to the base. 1)There is a lot of gold wear due to age and use. 2)Inside the base around the edges and up one side, there are separations in the glaze that are a combination of glaze skips and glaze cracks, probably caused by the heat of the candle over the years. There is also the residue of some white stuff, and it appears that somebody at some time applied a white coating to the glaze separation cracks to keep the glaze cracks from expanding from the heat of the candle. These cracks do not go through the porcelain, as you can see in the photos, but are interior to the glaze. Additionally, on the inside of the base, on the left side at the top, where I could not angle the camera for a photo, there is a faint gray age line that runs above the middle reticulated hole. The outside of the base has a few small glaze skips, glaze marks and a few tiny areas of glaze roughness.

The teapot is 4 ½” high, 5 ½” spout-to-handle, and 2 ¾” wide. The pot holds approximately one cup of tea. The pot also has a lot of gold wear. Additionally the inside of the pot is coated with a thick brown substance, and I have no idea what the stuff is. There are two tiny holes punched into the brown stuff at the inside spout, and the liquid goes through the holes and out the spout just fine. The underside of the pot is unglazed and shows a lot of discoloration.

Despite the flaws, it is a beautiful and rare piece of French porcelain. The veilleuse was used and loved.

Item ID: RL-107
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