A good Sèvres tête à tête service c.1783

A good Sèvres tête à tête service c.1783, painted with hot air balloons in flight above various landscape scenes, reserved on a bleu nouveau ground with gilt cracked ice decoration, blue interlaced LL marks and painter's marks for Vieillard. Comprising: a tray, a teapot and cover, a sugar bowl and cover, two cans and two saucers. (9)

Provenance: from the collection of the 2nd Viscount Bearsted, and thence by descent.

Cf. Bonhams, 8th December 2010, lot 170 for a milk jug, possibly originally from this service.

The theme of hot air ballooning was triggered by the demonstration flight of the Montgolfier brothers in June 1783 with the first manned flight taking place just six months later. This sparked a trend among artists and manufacturers who produced a range of commemorative souvenirs to mark the event.