Literature

With the factory mark in blue flanked by the partly effaced date letters KK for 1787 and the gilder's mark of a scroll for Weydinger père (active at Sèvres 1757-1806). The painted decoration can be attributed to Louis-François L’Ecot from documentary evidence.

The Montmorin service was made for Armand-Marc, Comte de Montmorin de Saint-Hérem and was delivered on 24th May 1787. Montmorin was the French Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1787 to 1791, before which he was Ambassador to Spain from 1777 to 1783. The note ‘Pour Son Compte’ in the entry for this service in the Sèvres manufactory's sales registers implies a personal rather than an official purchase. However his service was supplied with the exceptionally large number of 180 plates (costing 24 livres each) which show that it was for use at large official functions rather than for a family home.

The decoration is recorded in the manufactory's documents as ‘Zone bleu et fleurs chines’ and is composed of two gilt-edged blue bands, each decorated with a gilt foliate trail, in between which are entwined polychrome trails of fuchsia and horse chestnut.

The Montmorin service of 1787 included this more unusual punch bowl and mortar of the 'second' smaller size. The smaller size was reflected in the price – this second size punch bowl cost 360 livres as opposed to 480 livres for the larger size.

The majority of the service was subsequently purchased by Thomas, 2nd Marquess of Bath (1765-1837). It was sold at Christie's in 2002, including the larger punch bowl but not this one, as part of a selection of contents from the Bath's family home Longleat House.

The matching mortier to this punch bowl, which originally would have been displayed set inside the bowl, was on the art market in Paris in 2012 and is marked with the date letters for 1787 and the painter/ gilder Louis-François L’Ecot (active 1763-65 and 1772-1802). Whilst this punchbowl is marked for Weydinger père (active 1757-1806), this was probably in the capacity of gilder. It does not have another painter’s mark but appears in the painters’ worklists under L’Écot in February 1787.