Tureen with Cover and Under Plate, "Madame de Pompadour (nee Poisson) Pattern"
1 of 7
Object Label
This limited-edition tureen was manufactured in the famed pottery factory at Limoges, France, according to designs by the noted contemporary American photographer Cindy Sherman. The highly embellished Rococo style of the tureen became popular during the reign of the French king Louis XV (1715–1774), and porcelain was an important vehicle for its spread throughout Europe. The object is decorated with printed photographic images of Sherman in the guise of Madame de Pompadour, a mistress of Louis XV’s and an avid collector of porcelain. These images are typical of Sherman’s work: the artist is known for turning the camera on herself in order to raise questions about a variety of issues, particularly the role of women in society. Madame de Pompadour’s maiden name was Poisson, French for “fish,” and the interior bottom of the tureen is embellished with a still-life image that combines fish with luxurious jewelry in an amusing reference to both Pompadour and her social status.
Caption
Cindy Sherman American, born 1954. Tureen with Cover and Under Plate, "Madame de Pompadour (nee Poisson) Pattern", 1990. Porcelain with painted and silk-screened decoration, as installed: 12 1/2 × 21 1/2 × 13 1/2 in. (31.8 × 54.6 × 34.3 cm) Under Plate: 2 1/2 x 22 1/8 x 17 1/8 in. (6.4 x 56.2 x 43.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Estate of Mary Hayward Weir, by exchange, 2009.47a-c. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 2009.47a-c_overall_PS11.jpg)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Artist
Manufacturer
Title
Tureen with Cover and Under Plate, "Madame de Pompadour (nee Poisson) Pattern"
Date
1990
Medium
Porcelain with painted and silk-screened decoration
Classification
Dimensions
as installed: 12 1/2 × 21 1/2 × 13 1/2 in. (31.8 × 54.6 × 34.3 cm) Under Plate: 2 1/2 x 22 1/8 x 17 1/8 in. (6.4 x 56.2 x 43.5 cm)
Markings
Underside, (a) tureen: printed in black: " Madame de Pompadour/Nee poisson (1721 1764)/ by/ Cindy Sherman/ for/ [company logo] ARTES MAGNUS/10B/25/ [signature] cindy sherman(?)/ silk screened and hand/painted by/ [company logo]Ancienne Manufacture/Royale/Fondee en 1737/ Limoges France." (b) Underside: " Madame de Pompadour/Nee poisson (1721 1764)/ by/ Cindy Sherman/ for/ [company logo] ARTES MAGNUS/10B/25/ [signature] cindy sherman(?)/ silk screened and hand/painted by/ [company logo]Ancienne Manufacture/Royale/Fondee en 1737/ Limoges France." (c) Underside: " Madame de Pompadour/Nee poisson (1721 1764)/ by/ Cindy Sherman/ for/ [company logo] ARTES MAGNUS/10B/25/ [signature] cindy sherman(?)/ silk screened and hand/painted by/ [company logo]Ancienne Manufacture/Royale/Fondee en 1737/ Limoges France."
Credit Line
Gift of the Estate of Mary Hayward Weir, by exchange
Accession Number
2009.47a-c
Rights
Creative Commons-BY
You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
Frequent Art Questions
Did Cindy Sherman make this tureen herself Or is it just her photograph on the plate and dish?
Great question. Cindy Sherman worked with the design company ARTES MAGNUS to produce this dinner service as a limited edition. The porcelain was produced by the Limoge manufactory in France after the original 1756 design commissioned by Madame de Pompadour (née Poisson) from the Manufacture Royale de Sevres. The image is a self-portrait of Sherman dressed as a woman like Madame de Pompadour.Was this tureen made by hand?
This vessel was cast in molds as part of a limited edition. The self-portrait of Cindy Sherman as an eighteenth century woman was transferred onto porcelain through a process that requires over a dozen photo-silkscreens.What is Cindy Sherman's exact involvement with this piece?
Cindy Sherman creates staged self-portraits, where she emulates famous people from various historical periods. She was the creative force behind the work.Oh so it was personalized with her image?Yes, it is! As part of Sherman's interest in exploring the roles of women in society, she took on the appearance of Madame de Pompadour, the mistress of King Louis XV of France.Is this tureen made by the photographer Cindy Sherman?
Yes, you got it! The figure on the tureen is a self portrait of the photographer dressed in the style of Madame de Pompadour! This set was inspired by porcelain dinnerware commissioned by Madame de Pompadour in 1756 at the royal porcelain factory in Sèvres, France, located just outside of Paris. It is in the Rococo style.The label credits this piece to Cindy Sherman. Is this a one of a kind piece crafted by the artist, or a design by the artist produced by the manufacturing company?
Cindy Sherman worked with the design company ARTES to produce this dinner service as a limited edition. Sherman went to Limoges, France to look at original 18th century molds, including pieces designed for Madame de Pompadour.Thanks!You're welcome!Did Cindy Sherman add her own portrait to the Limoges tureen?
Yes, she did! The image on the Tureen shows Sherman dressed up as Madame de Pompadour in costumes and poses inspired by the painter Francois Boucher's portraits.The set was inspired by dinnerware commissioned by Madame de Pompadour in 1756. Pompadour was the mistress of Louis XV as well as a patron of the arts and luxury goods.Amazing. She's so inventive.Isn't she?! On the inside of the tureen’s lid is an image of fish, a pun, referring to Mme de Pompadour's last name, which is Poisson, the French word for fish.Yes and it's from 1990 way before that MOMA exhibit where she cast herself in classical paintings.Yes! She has always been interested in this novel brand of self-portraiture. She establish her reputation with a series of 69 stills of herself enacting female cliches of 20th century pop culture. It was called "Untitled Film Stills" and dates from 1977–80.The women is portrayed with only a thin layer of blue right on her bosom, was this intended by Sherman? I am wondering what the location has to do with what the artist is trying to say.
The woman you see on this tureen is actually the artist herself, Cindy Sherman, dressed as Madame Pompadour who was a real person best known as a mistress to King Louis XV of France..The styling of the vessel is inspired by the Rococo of mid 18th century France and is a direct reference to a set of porcelain the Madame Pompadour commissioned in 1756. The blue of a vessel was popular at the time. The addition of the self-portrait as Pompadour ties into Sherman's typical practice of disguised self-portraits.Interesting, the piece is wonderful. Thank you for directing me to it!This seems different from the Chinese blue and white ceramics.
This piece is quite interesting. It's actually contemporary art! The artist, Cindy Sherman portrays herself in the costume and style of an 18th century woman, Madame de Pompadour. This shade of dark blue was quite difficult to achieve and was only perfected in the mid 18th century.Could you tell me more about Pompadour why she’s important figureMadame de Pompadour was born Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson in 1721. She is most famous for being an influential mistress to King Louis XV of France and for being a patron of the arts and literature.Madame de Pompadour was born Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson in 1721. She is most famous for being an influential mistress to King Louis XV of France and for being a patron of the arts and literature. She oversaw the opening of the royal porcelain factory at Sèvres, France. It's this relationship to porcelain that Sherman is referencing by portraying Madame Pompadour on the tureen.All of Cindy Sherman's work, that I've seen before, was photographs, I didn't expect to see this tureen. Amazing!
Yes! This is a great example of Sherman breaking out of her usual medium!You'll notice, though, that it's Sherman herself dressed as Madame Pompadour on the side of the tureen, these self-portraits are her signature.If you were to lift up the lid, the interior is painted to look like a tangle of fish and jewels! This is a play on Madame de Pompadour's real surname Poisson, meaning fish!Did Cindy Sherman put her photo on an old piece? Or is it a replica? Please explain the whole piece, thanks!
This tureen is a new (in 1990) reproduction of an 18th century Rococo original. It was made from original molds at the Limoges factory!Cindy Sherman traveled to Limoges to select the forms she wished to apply her photo transfers to. Each piece uses 16 photo-silkscreens.The interior of the tureen is decorated with a tangle of fish and jewels.The fish are a pun, referring to Mme de Pompadour's last name, "Poisson," which is the French word for "fish."I think this is a very clever example of postmodern design!This blue is absolutely radiant. It's far deeper a hue than anything else in the exhibit I think. Do you know what dyes or minerals were used to achieve such a radiant and striking color?
The deep, bright blue was achieved with a cobalt glaze that was fired at extremely high temperatures, making it extremely durable. Cobalt can withstand the intense heat required in porcelain firing and still maintain its blue color. Unlike paintings or textiles, this beautiful blue will not fade with time!It was produced by the Limoges Factory, which has been producing luxury porcelain since the 1700's. So they have it down in terms of producing bright and reflective colors.
Have information?
Have information about an artwork? Contact us at
