Coffeepot ca. 1773–75 Höchst Manufactory The abbreviated signature on the underside of this coffeepot indicates that it was decorated by Louis-Victor Gerverot (French, 1747–1829), a highly skilled and unusually peripatetic porcelain painter who worked at a wide array of porcelain factories in Germany, the Netherlands, and England.[1] Gerverot’s career reflects the itinerant nature of many who were involved in the ceramic industry in eighteenth-century Europe; both porcelain painters and those involved in the more technical aspects of production commonly moved from factory to factory, providing

Coffeepot ca. 1773–75 Höchst Manufactory The abbreviated signature on the underside of this coffeepot indicates that it was decorated by Louis-Victor Gerverot (French, 1747–1829), a highly skilled and unusually peripatetic porcelain painter who worked at a wide array of porcelain factories in Germany, the Netherlands, and England.[1] Gerverot’s career reflects the itinerant nature of many who were involved in the ceramic industry in eighteenth-century Europe; both porcelain painters and those involved in the more technical aspects of production commonly moved from factory to factory, providing expertise to nascent operations or seeking better terms of employment. The constantly shifting workforce enabled the rapid growth of porcelain factories in Germany, in particular, during the second half of the eighteenth century, but it also meant that factory styles often shifted when they were dominated by the presence, however temporary, of a strong and unusually capable artistic is best known for his expertise in painting birds, a skill that he appears to have acquired while working at the Weesp factory in the Netherlands and further developed during his time at Höchst.[2] The bird painting found on Gerverot’s work at these factories and later at Loosdrecht in the Netherlands is characterized by the animated poses of the birds, their summary execution, and a notable degree of painterly fluidity.[3] In contrast, Gerverot’s depiction of three figures in a landscape on this coffeepot has a high degree of detail and finish, with all of the compositional elements rendered with great precision. This is evident not only in the painting of the landscape and the primary architectural element but also in the subtle shading and detailing of the figures’ clothing. The coffeepot was originally part of a service that is now dispersed, but several of its components have been located.[4] All of these pieces are decorated with similar subject matter, and

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