A Mennecy-Villeroy Knife, circa 1740
Dating from the early duc de Villeroy period of Mennecy, the cannon-shaped haft is decorated with chinoiserie vignettes in a distinctive Kakiemon palette of yellow, blue, red, and turquoise. Fitted with a silver ferrule and cap, and a steel blade of French type stamped LANGRE, below a crown and a flower.
Provenance: The Darblay Collection, Paris; an English Private Collection.
Condition: The glaze is worn, and there is wear to the enamel decoration. No damage or restoration. The blade and ferrule are good.
Dimensions: Length 25.5 cm (including blade)
French Porcelain: A Catalogue of the British Museum Collection, Aileen Dawson (British Museum Press, 2000).
French Porcelain of the Eighteenth Century, Christopher Maxwell (V&A Publishing, 2009).
Cutlery: From Gothic to Art Deco – The J. Hollander Collection, Jan van Trigt (Petraco-Pandora NV, 1999).