2024 rating and value of Sèvres porcelain services

If you own a porcelain service or part of a service from the Manufacture de Sèvres, or after, and would like to know its value, our state-approved experts and auctioneers will offer you their appraisal services. Our specialists will carry out a free appraisal of your piece, and provide you with a precise estimate of its value on today's market. Thereafter, if you wish to sell your work, we will guide you towards the best possible arrangement to obtain the optimum price.

Rating and value of Sèvres porcelain  

Sèvres porcelain is known and appreciated throughout Europe. It was one of the first royal factories, founded by Louis XV in Vincennes. Today, the price of certain pieces continues to rise under the auctioneer's hammer. Sèvres porcelain services or service elements are highly prized, particularly by French buyers, and the price at which they sell on the art market ranges from €40 to €410,000, a considerable delta but one that speaks volumes about the value that can be attributed to Sèvres services. In 2014, a plate from the " quartiers généraux " service, with painted enamels and gilding, sold for €410,000, while it was estimated at between €60,000 and €80,000.

Ranging in value from a simple porcelain to the most prestigious

Style and technique of Sèvres porcelain  

Sèvres porcelain developed hard porcelain, but originally produced soft porcelain, invented by Louis-François Ier Gravant. After the discovery of French kaolin, Sèvres porcelain became hard and was marketed from 1773. The factory produces vases, services and cookies.

History of the Sèvres factory

The history of the royal Meissen factory began in 1740 thanks to the Marquise de Pompadour, mistress of Louis XV, with the aim of having a royal production able to compete with the Meissen factory, which already possessed the hard porcelain formula as well as various kaolin deposits.

It was initially based in Vincennes, but moved to Sèvres in 1756, hence its name for several centuries. In the same year, Louis XV became the owner of all the shares, and thus had total control over the factory. It was bought out four years later by the Domaine de la Couronne (which today corresponds to the State's public domain).

Bertin, Louis XV's minister, became commissionaire for the Sèvres manufactory and set out to find the formula for creating hard porcelain.

Based on models acquired from the German factory in Frankenthal, the Sèvres chemists tried to find the formula, which was finally given to them by Pierre-Antoine Hannong with the help of a notary.

However, even with the formula, France lacked the kaolin deposits to use it. The first kaolin deposit was discovered in 1765.

The Manufacture de Sèvres set itself apart with the creation of a pigment: Sèvres blue, obtained by incorporating cobalt oxide into the paste.

In the 19th century, ceramist Ambroise Millet modernized the porcelain firing process and had new kilns installed.

Prior to 2009, the Manufacture Nationale de Sèvres was a department with national competence. On that date, it became a public establishment by decree.

The auction market value of Sèvres porcelain services

Sèvres porcelain is highly prized at auction. It sells more or less well depending on the state of preservation, the age of the piece and the artist who may have signed it.

Services are sometimes very substantial sets, containing up to 200 porcelain pieces. Originally created for the nobility as well as for use as diplomatic gifts, today these objects are highly prized by different types of collectors.

Among them is the Service des arts industriels, marketed in 1820, with an ambitious iconographic program aimed at representing the beginning of industrialization in France. The agronomic service was also highly prized.

The artisans at the Manufacture de Sèvres were able to adapt to the various historical events and successful subjects of their time. 

Recognizing a piece from the Manufacture de Sèvres

The pieces produced by the Manufacture de Sèvres are generally signed and hallmarked. The signature may have varied over the centuries. Here's an example:

Knowing the value of a work

If you happen to own a piece of Sèvres or Sèvres porcelain, don't hesitate to request a free appraisal using the form on our website. A member of our team of experts and certified auctioneers will contact you promptly to provide you with an estimate of the market value of your work, as well as any relevant information about it. If you are considering selling your work, you will also be accompanied by our specialists in order to benefit from alternatives for selling it at the best possible price, taking into account the inclinations of the market.