1.  A Chelsea-Derby soft-paste porcelain plate, c. 1770, painted in the center by Fidelle Duvivier in rose camaïeu with a cherub holding a bird, and seated amidst musical instruments and a cage on clouds, the scalloped rim with a lightly molded edge delineated with gilt lines and scrolls pendent with a rose and pink meandering ribbon interrupted with gilt-heightened turquoise grapevines and foliate clusters extending into the lightly fluted cavetto. Conjoined anchor and D mark in gold. Diameter: 9 in. (22.8 cm.) (Inv. RES 55.31, reserve collection)

As with many other similarly decorated Derby pieces, the cherub painting on this plate has been attributed to the painter Richard Askew (c. 1730-1798). But more recent research by Derby scholar Andrew Ledger has revealed that Askew was not working regularly for Derby during the period 1769 to April 1771. By April 1772 he was living in London, and did not work again for Derby until 1794. (i)

We know that Duvivier signed his contract with Duesbury on 31 October 1769 and worked at Derby until at least mid-1771; and he, too, decorated porcelain with putti in rose camaïeu during that same period. So the next task will be to identify and distinguish his work from that of other hands, including Askew’s.(ii)

My Derby attributions to Duvivier are based on stylistic similarities to the Boucher-inspired decoration he did in France, the Netherlands and in Staffordshire. (See my book, pp. 65-69, and Blogpost #17: “Country togs, angelic faces” of August 15, 2018).

2. A Sceaux soft-paste porcelain covered water jug (pot à eau), c. 1775, decorated in colors by Fidelle Duvivier with two couples wearing fine garments (and wigs), walking near a body of water. 4 13/16 x 3 13/16 in. (12.2 x 9.7 cm). Mark: incised S.X. mark. (Inv. 1983.636a-b, Gift of Rita and Frits Markus, Gallery 247)

The figures on this water jug(iii) are comparable to those he painted on Sceaux faience in the earlier period (c. 1766-68). See examples in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC shown in my third blog, and examples from both periods in my Duvivier book, pp. 25, 27, 35.

3. A Dutch Loosdrecht hard-paste porcelain teabowl, c. 1783, with two figures in a land-scape, decorated in puce, green enamel and gold by Fidelle Duvivier. H 1 15/16 in. (4.9 cm). Mark: M.O.L. with a star below it in underglaze blue. (Inv. 103.1980 – Rita and Frits Markus Collection)(iv)

 

This Loosdrecht saucer probably would have belonged to this service. Diameter 5 in. (12.9 cm). Private collection
A related cup with saucer is shown in my Duvivier book on p. 59. Another unattributed example can be seen in the Metmuseum.org online collection (inv. 06.346a, b).

 

4. A New Hall soft-paste porcelain tea canister, decorated in colors by Fidelle Duvivier, c. 1785-90, showing two boys playing leapfrog and a boy skipping rope. H 5 in. (12.7 cm). (Inv. 1988.1070, reserve collection, gift from Jessie and Sigmund Katz Collection)

This tea canister belonged to a New Hall porcelain tea and coffee service Duvivier painted with scenes of children’s games and occupations.(v) Visible in the distance behind the children playing leapfrog are a beehive kiln and ceramic factory. A matching teapot from this service (whereabouts unknown) was last pictured in a 1925 Sotheby’s advertisement in The Connoisseur Magazine.(vi) 
Several New Hall porcelain cups with the same gilded pattern on their inner rims are in the collections of the Wardown Park Museum, Luton, and Museum of Scotland.(vii


NOTES

(i) Andrew Ledger, “Richard Askew, Derby painter: Unsafe Attributions,” Transactions of the English Ceramic Circle, Vol. 22, 2011, pp. 39-45. The author published his findings after examining Derby payroll documents, and concluded that “Askew’s only certain time working at Derby was for Duesbury II from about mid-1794 to end-1795 or perhaps early 1796 … This invalidates  all attributions to Askew of the decoration of any Derby products dated from April 1772 to mid-1794.”

(ii) See also Sir Stephen Mitchell, The Marks on Chelsea-Derby and Early Crossed Batons Useful Wares, 1770-c.1790. Chapter IX: A Sèvres-style mark, the “Dot Rose” painter and Fidelle Duvivier: outside decorators located in Derby c. 1768-1773?” (London: SGM Books, 2009), pp. vii-x, 22-45 (with various Duvivier attributions).

(iii) I attributed this piece to Fidelle Duvivier in my 2006 article, “Fidelle Duvivier in France and the Netherlands,” The Magazine ANTIQUES, (Brant Publications, Inc., New York), January 2006, pp. 168-177 (note 15).

(iv) Illustrated in Vivian S. Hawes and Christiana S. Consiglia et al., The Rita and Frits Markus Collection of European Ceramic and Enamels (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 1984), no.90, pp. 249-250. This Loosdrecht teabowl was attributed to Duvivier in 2006 (see note 3).

(v) Illustrated in George Savage, Eighteenth-Century English Porcelain, (London: Rockliff, 1952), pl. 98 and attributed to Fidèle Duvivier.

(vi) Discussed in my book, pp. 70-71, and in the article, Charlotte Jacob-Hanson, “Fidelle Duvivier: the Painter and his World – Collected Memories,” The Northern Ceramic Society Newsletter, No 184, December 2016, pp. 45-53 (posted at www.academia.edu under my name).

(vii) For more about these pieces see my book, p. 80, note 46.