Sèvres Porcelain Vases, ca. 1850
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GUEST:
We purchased these from a local estate sale. Thought they were pretty, ornate, looked old.
APPRAISER:
Mm-hmm.
GUEST:
We did do some research, and we think maybe they're Sèvres.
APPRAISER:
What's wonderful about these is the way that they're decorated, not just with these wonderful portraits that surround the body, but also you've got the laurel wreaths that come down from the neck that simulate bronze. I'm sure they do represent specific people in history. But without quite a bit of research, it would be hard to know exactly who. The condition on both of them are really, really great. Your question was, are they Sèvres? We can't say 100%, because we can't get underneath them, because that, this solid base on here. But the quality would totally tell me that they probably are Sèvres. I'd feel totally comfortable calling them Sèvres. Mid-19th century would be the approximate date for them. What did you pay for them?
GUEST:
Actually, $50 for the pair.
APPRAISER:
$50. So what do you think they're worth?
GUEST:
Um, a comparable pair we saw was about $4,000 for the pair.
APPRAISER:
Uh-huh. The market isn't what it used to be for these. As you can imagine, it's really not the taste of anybody under the age of 50.
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
But nonetheless, these are the highest end of the spectrum, and that market is still strong. There are still many people in their 60s and 70s and even 80s that are still buying this level of porcelain, and that's keeping this level as high as it is. An auction estimate, in fact, would be in the range of $5,000 to $7,000.
GUEST:
Oh, wow.
APPRAISER:
And I think they'll bring all of that and... You know, these don't come up every day. So the probability is, the likelihood you'll create some competition and that they, they could do more than that.
GUEST:
Excellent.
APPRAISER:
Thank you for bringing them in.
GUEST:
Oh, thank you.
APPRAISER:
There were other manufacturers that tried to do something similar, but they weren't so very successful.
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