Pair Large Antique French Bisque Figures 23\" Directoire Incroyable Couple 19th C For Sale

Please review all photos carefully, as they are part of the description and best represent the item’s condition. I do my best to accurately describe and photograph each item, including any visible wear or imperfections consistent with age, storage, and prior use.

A large pair of polychrome bisque porcelain figures in the French taste, late 19th century, modeled as a fashionable couple in the dress of the Directoire period (c. 1795–1799), the gentleman in the manner of an Incroyable and his companion a Merveilleuse.

He wears a striped tailcoat with broad revers, a high cravat with lace jabot, striped breeches with twin watch fobs set with turquoise enamel cabochons, and holds a gilt quizzing glass or fob, standing before a faux-marble support with a recessed panel; she wears a high-waisted floral gown with an open short jacket, long gloves, a beribboned bonnet, and a drawstring reticule, with applied roses trailing down her skirt.

The unglazed bisque is painted in pastel enamels with raised gilt beading, raised enamel floral sprays and gilt borders; each stands on a naturalistic rockwork base. Both undersides are unglazed and bear an impressed rococo cartouche enclosing a script monogram, not identified, together with an impressed oval mark reading DEPOSE, indicating a registered model; the lady's base has a round vent hole and the gentleman's a rectangular vent.

Later green felt pads have been applied.

Height approximately 23 in.

Condition: the gentleman has fingers of his proper left hand broken, with sections missing; the breaks are unrestored. His base has a hairline crack running across the underside from rim to rim past the vent, opening slightly along part of its length; a short section reaches the painted surface, running from the brown rockwork into the marbleized support behind the figure.

Small gilt wear to his cuff beading and fobs. The lady has a broken bonnet ribbon at her back, a loss of enamel and surface at the back of one shoulder exposing white bisque, and gilt loss to one raised petals on the skirt. General surface grime to bases and undersides and light age-consistent wear to gilding.

No restorations noted. Please review all photographs.

I’m happy to combine shipping when reasonable and may reuse clean packing materials to reduce waste and ship responsibly.

Returns are not accepted for buyer’s remorse, changes of mind, or failure to review the listing details and photographs carefully before purchase.

Thank you for your interest and for supporting small independent sellers.

— Flying Rabbit Antiques