Exquisite 19th Century French Porcelain Samson, Edmé & Cie Porcelain Armorial Tea Caddy

Porcelain : Antique : French

 

This lovely tea caddy was made by the famous (some would say “infamous”) Parisian porcelain company Samson, Edmé et Cie. Edmé Samson began his career in the 1830’s making replacement pieces for expensive and hard-to-get dinnerware such as Sevres and Meissen. The wealthy in Paris would contract with him to reproduce pieces that were broken in the course of use. It soon became apparent that his skill resulted in superb copies, sometimes in fact, out-shining the original. He soon branched out into imitating the most renowned producers in the world, including Battersea, Sevres, Meissen, Japanese Imari, and the wildly popular Famille Rose and Famille Vert Chinese Export (or Trade) Porcelain. Late in the 1800’s, he was reviled as a maker of “fakes”, but now his pieces are prized for the superiority of their workmanship and the colorful history of Edmé Samson and his company. This tea caddy is painstakingly handpainted, enameled, and gilded with remarkable attention to detail in the style of Chinese Export Porcelain produced in the 1700’s. It measures 6 ½” tall, 3 ¼” wide, and 2 ¾” from front to back. It is marked on the base with Samson’s “hieroglyphic” red mark and the interior of the lid is marked FRANCE. The caddy is in superb condition with no chips, cracks, hairlines, or repairs, but there is a chip on the interior rim of the lid. See the photos for details. Shipping weight: 3 lb. 2 oz. (Location: D4)

Item ID: RL040905