19th Century Bust of Messalina in Biscuit Porcelain from Sevres, France

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Item description:
Spectacular, beautiful classical sculpture in fine French biscuit porcelain, depicting Messalina, the dissolute Roman empress. Made by the … Read more Item description:
Spectacular, beautiful classical sculpture in fine French biscuit porcelain, depicting Messalina, the dissolute Roman empress. Made by the famous French manufacturer Sevrès, signed on the back of the base, with a mark from the late 1800s/early 1900s. Beautiful antique patina. The biscuits produced by the Sevrès factory are the most beautiful and sought-after of all the biscuits produced by European manufacturers. They have always been considered the most beautiful and expensive; just look at the results of a few Sevrès biscuit auctions and you will see for yourself. This bust in particular is uniquely beautiful and elegant. Not even the slightest smudge, perfect plastic execution, the hair, the drapery, the eyes, the open mouth, the fabulous hairstyle, extremely distinctive, the beauty of the bow behind it, and the most beautiful thing of all: the charming, lascivious dimple on the chin, a touch of true mastery. I assure you that it is even more beautiful in real life. Although small in size, it is of truly rare quality. The material used is also of the highest quality: thick, compact biscuit with a porous and slightly crinkled surface.

Useful information for evaluating the item:
This model was undoubtedly produced for Sevrès in the 1700s by artists such as Etienne Falconet, Louis Falconet, Lambert, or Nicolas Adam, or perhaps more likely Marie-Anne Collot, the adopted daughter of Etienne Falconet, who loved creating busts, which were sold at auction for very high prices. The French manufacturer Sevres then kept the mold of the work and reissued it many years later, as was its custom. A truly rare and beautiful piece in every respect. Our research on the web shows that Sevres biscuit sculptures are listed and sold at auction at very high prices, exceeding €100,000 (plus auction fees) for the largest and most important sculptures, usually groups of several classical subjects. Even the smaller sculptures reproduced in 1900 are still quite valuable, ranging from a minimum of €200-300 to over €2,000-3,000, partly because they are the same sculptures originally created in 1700. Our sculpture is not particularly large, but it is of the highest artistic quality.
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