A true Francophile's collection

Casket and table c 1824
RCIN 21637

Sèvres porcelain factory
21637 Coffer & table - 34 view.TIF c 1824
Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2020
This Sèvres porcelain-mounted casket standing on a similarly mounted table was purchased for George IV in 1828 by his pastry chef, François Benois. The table and coffer were made by Alexandre-Louis Bellangé (1757–1827).
The casket is of oak veneered with ebony and fitted with porcelain plaques painted with pastoral and mythological subjects. The porcelain plaques were not made for the casket, but assembled from various other sources: some designed as plaques, and others adapted from other wares.
George IV may have been drawn to this object by its overall richness and clever use of Sèvres plaques. In particular, Bellangé’s ingenious use of porcelain and gilt bronze against the black of the ebony veneer is striking.