Manufacture nationale de Sèvres
The Manufacture nationale de Sèvres is one of the principal European porcelain factories. It is located in Sèvres, Hauts-de-Seine, France. It is the continuation of Vincennes porcelain, founded in 1740, which moved to Sèvres in 1756. It has been owned by the French crown or government since 1759, and has always maintained the highest standards of quality. Almost immediately, it replaced Meissen porcelain as the standard-setter among European porcelain factories, retaining this position until at least the 19th century. Its production is still largely based on the creation of contemporary objects today. It became part of the Cité de la céramique in 2010 with the Musée national de céramique, and since 2012 with the Musée national Adrien Dubouché in Limoges. In 1740, the Manufacture de Vincennes was founded, thanks to the support of Louis XV's polish born wife, Queen Marie Leszczyńska who was noted as an avid porcelain collector in her early years as Queen. According to the memoirs of the Duke de Luynes it was Queen Marie who originally promoted porcelain in Versailles by having regular commissions such as the first colored porcelain flowers presented to her by the company in her royal apartments in April 1748 in order to compete with the Chantilly porcelain and Meissen Porcelain in Germany. Louis XV's mistress Madame de Pompadour then followed and became a patron in 1751. By 1756, the manufactury was moved to a building in Sèvres, built at the initiative of Madame de Pompadour, near her château de Bellevue. 130 metres long and four storeys hig, the building was erected between 1753 and 1756 by the architect Laurent Lindet on the site of a farm called "de la Guyarde." There was a central pavilion surmounted by a pediment with a clock from the old royal glass-makers on the fourth level, with two long wings terminating in corner pavilions at each end. In front of the pavilion was a "public" courtyard, enclosed by a wrought-iron fence. This front area was decorated twice a month in order to hold parties for visitors.
