Contemporary works are generally signed by their creators.
Manufacture marks have always been beneath the enamel since the mid-19th century, while decoration marks lie atop the enamel. Sèvres’ current mark was designed by the painter Georges Mathieu in the 1970s.
The presence of the word “Sèvres” on the back of a ceramic object does not necessarily mean that it was made at the National Manufactory. Indeed, a certain number of private workshops have been set up in the town of Sèvres and have been able to legally benefit from all the magic evoked by this prestigious name.
These marks therefore do no constitute the only authentication criteria for Sèvres’ production, which has ever been extensively imitated; other determining factors are the quality of the paste and enamel, the purity of the gold, the forms and motifs, and the finesse and skill of their execution.
Before looking at the easily falsified manufacture marks, one must carefully examine all aspects of the piece of porcelain in question.