Du Paquier Manufactory
Painting attributed to Christian Frey
Two Covered Écuelles and Stands, ca. 1735–40
Hard-paste porcelain
First Ecuelle: H. (with lid) 6 in. (15.2 cm); L. (with handles) 8 5/8 in. (21.9 cm)
Stand: H. 1 1/2 in. (3.8 cm); diam. 10 1/8 in. (25.7 cm)
Second Stand: H. 1 1/2 in.; diam. 10 3/16 in.
Second Ecuelle: H. (with lid) 5 3/4 in. (14.6 cm); L. (with handles)
Melinda and Paul Sullivan Collection
Unlike the Meissen manufactory, which was controlled by a monarch who imposed a factory style, the Du Paquier manufactory was run by an entrepreneur who encouraged the individual artistic expression of his workers; as a result, many different styles flourished. Because the painters rarely signed their work, however, it is almost impossible to distinguish among them. One exception is Christian Frey, who signed a few pieces that were in a miniaturist style characterized by the use of tiny dots and dashes of colors that stipple the surface. To achieve depth, Frey used different tones, with the bolder colors reserved for the objects in the foreground and the palest shades for the distant ones.