Talk: Napoleon and Sèvres

In this lecture, international porcelain specialist John Whitehead explores the role that Sèvres porcelain played during Napolean’s rule, and the image of power and prosperity that it projected.

Sèvres, a French commune in Paris, was one of the leading European porcelain factories in the 18th century. Porcelain produced in this factory depicted Napolean, his family and court, foreign rulers and princes, French dignitaries and other high officials. From lavish tableware for the imperial palaces, to decorative items like vases and columns, discover the designs and shifting styles that glorified Napoleon's achievements.

John Whitehead is a dealer, writer and lecturer specialising in French 18th and 19th-century interior decoration and works of art, with an emphasis on Sèvres porcelain. In 2010 he was made an officer of the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in recognition of services to the arts. Whitehead is a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London, and a member of the committee of the French Porcelain Society, with responsibility as co-editor of the Society's journal.

Image: Napoleon I visiting a porcelain manufacturer in Sèvres, from the Liebig series: Histoire de la Porcelaine/ History of Porcelain 1910, No 6, photo: Alamy