A comprehensive, in-depth examination of nearly three centuries of sculptural production from France’s famous Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory. Sèvres Extraordinaire! brings to light the production of sculpture at Sèvres over the 280 years of the institution’s existence—from the first attempts at soft-paste porcelain to the revolutionary decision to skip the glaze application, producing a matte white evocative of marble. Other new techniques followed, emulating classic sculptural materials such as bronze and gold. These processes set Sèvres apart and ensured its long-standing success with the medium. This book offers an overview of the artists, artisans, and patrons who converged over the years at Sèvres, and whose ideas represent a microcosm of larger developments in art and culture. Considering the term “sculpture” in its broadest sense, it features vases, dining-table centerpieces, clocks, inkstands, and rare cups and saucers alongside objects such as busts, figures, and medallions. The history is told through material, much of which has never been illustrated, that includes drawings, plaster molds, and terracotta models housed in the archives of the Sèvres Manufactory and in the Musées nationaux, as well as finished sculptures designed by artists including Étienne Maurice Falconet (1716–1791), François Boucher (1703–1770), Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse (1824–1887), Auguste Rodin (1840–1917), Louise Bourgeois (1911–2010), and Giuseppe Penone (b. 1947).

Tamara Préaud was formerly archivist at the Manufacture nationale de Sèvres