Paul Milet (1870-1950) for the Manufacture de Sèvres - Ceramic vase, circa 1930

950
20th century
Art Deco
DELIVERY
From: 78600, Maisons Laffitte, France

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    Original Art Deco ceramic vase by Paul Milet in Sèvres. Signed under the base. The swollen body with white vermiculated decoration on a black background, simulated handles and oxblood red base.
    Condition: Good condition, tiny chip to a handle at the bottom.
    Dimensions: Height: 28.5 cm W: 19.5 cm D: 14.5 cm

    Price: €950

    Paul Milet was the son of ceramist Félix Optat Milet (1838-1911). After training in the laboratory at the Manufacture de Sèvres, he became a chemist and worked in the factory founded by his father in 1866 at 8, rue Troyon in Sèvres, a stone's throw from the Manufacture.
    From 1890, he gradually took over from his father. Like his father, he continued to benefit from the collaboration of artists at the Manufacture nationale de céramique de Sèvres.
    In 1899, he married Marie-Louise Gibert (known as Céline), whose brother Paul was a manager in Paris at Haviland, the famous Limoges porcelain manufacturer.
    Paul Milet worked with his father Optat Milet until the latter's death in 1911, and then with his son Henri, a ceramics engineer, who was appointed plant manager in 1931, although father and son continued to work closely together.

    At the Salon des Artistes Français, Milet exhibited both one-off and utilitarian pieces, including inkwells, paper trays and candleholders. He was awarded an honorary diploma at the Exposition des Arts du Feu in 1897, and a gold medal at the Exposition Universelle in 1900 for his earthenware "of pleasing forms, decorated by the most diverse processes, cloisonné enamels, enamels on gold straw. In all these decorations, made from good drawings, Paul Milet uses with discernment the rich palette of enamels he has mastered"[2] He also appreciated the texture of stoneware, and Milet produced stoneware vases in the Art Nouveau style. He exhibited some of them at the 1902 Exposition des Arts Décoratifs.
    Paul Milet also exhibited at the Palais Galliera during the 1907 Porcelain Exhibition, and again in 1909 and 1911 at the Stoneware, Earthenware and Terracotta Exhibition. He gave up porcelain production after the First World War. Thanks to his knowledge, he was also called in as a customs expert for Chinese imports.

    Until 1925, Paul Milet owned a showroom at 51, rue de Paradis, an area of Paris long dedicated to tableware.
    Milet also distributed his products through department stores such as La Samaritaine and Galeries Lafayette. He also had a gallery at 8, rue Troyon in Sèvres. Paul Milet began signing his pieces "MP Sèvres" in a dotted circle, either when he joined the business, or probably from 1911 onwards, on the death of his father Félix Optat Milet.
    Over the years, the Manufacture de porcelaine de Sèvres became concerned about the possible confusion between the two companies' products. Threatened with a lawsuit, Paul Milet changed his trademark by reversing the initials. On October 4, 1930, he registered the trademark "PM Sèvres" in the same dotted circle.
    On July 16, 1945, an enlarged trademark was registered as "Sté Paul Milet et fils". Some pieces, probably older, are simply signed "Sèvres". Others are accompanied by the name of the participating artist.

    Manufacture Nationale de Sèvres

    A manufacturer of exemplary European ceramics for hundreds of years, the Manufacture Nationale de Sèvres has been producing porcelain of the highest quality since 1740. The manufactory benefited from royal patronage from the outset, and its most prominent patrons in the late 18th century - King Louis XV of France and his mistress, Madame de Pompadour - commissioned some of the most elegant and remarkable pieces of the era (in those days, only the truly wealthy could afford porcelain). The company, originally based in Vincennes, was transferred at Madame de Pompadour's request in 1756 to Sèvres, near Versailles, so that its operations could be closer to her château. Sèvres became a powerful and highly respected factory, working thanks to a special grant from King Louis XV - who owned the company from 1759 and whose abundance of special state gift orders put the company under financial pressure. It is said that Madame de Pompadour asked Sèvres to create an entire indoor garden of porcelain plants, for example. While Sèvres gained an excellent reputation for its soft porcelain products, the company was slow to move into hard porcelain production. Hard porcelain is the most common type of Chinese porcelain, a widely exported and profitable product at the time, which was not produced in Europe until the 18th century. On the one hand, Sèvres' resources were largely relegated to satisfying the demands of Louis XV, and on the other, it wasn't until 1761 that it acquired the secret formula for pate porcelain.

    Ref: FAX90QM4UG

    Condition Very good
    Style Art Deco (Porcelain vases of Art Deco Style)
    Period 20th century (Porcelain vases 20th century)
    Country of origin France
    Artist Signé De Paul Milet à Sèvres
    Width (cm) 19,5
    Height (cm) 28,5
    Shipping Time Ready to ship in 4-7 Business Days
    Location 78600, Maisons Laffitte, France
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