In 1769, after Macquer had brought the making of hard paste to perfection, the manufacture was successfully established at Sèvres, and both descriptions of china continued to be made until 1804, when, Brongniart being director, soft paste was altogether discontinued, and declared to be "useless in art, of expensive manipulation, dangerous to the workmen, subject to great risk in the furnace, &c." [Illustration: FIG. 230.--CUP AND SAUCER. _Bleu de roi ground, with white medallions enclosing birds in gold. Mark, double L, in blue._ Diam. 2-5/8 and 5-3/8 in.] The principal colours used in decorating the ground of the Sèvres vases were:-- 1. The _bleu céleste_, or turquoise, invented in 1752 by Hellot. 2. The rich cobalt blue, called _bleu de roi_, of which there were two varieties, the darker being designated _gros bleu_. 3. The _violet pensée_, a beautiful violet from a mixture of manganese, one of the rarest decorations of the _pâte tendre_. [Illustration: FIG. 231.--VASE.] 4. The _rose Pompadour_ (called in England _rose Du-Barry_), a charming pink or rose colour invented in 1757 by Xhrouet of Sèvres. 5. The clear yellow or _jonquille_, a sort of canary colour. 6. The _vert pré_, or bright grass green. [Illustration: FIG. 232.--ÉCUELLE. _Dated 1771._] 7. The _vert pomme_, or apple green. 8. The _rouge de fer_, a brilliant red. 9. The _œil de perdrix_ was at a later period a favourite ornament for the grounds of vases. [Illustration: FIG. 233.--BISCUIT GROUP. CUPID AND PSYCHE.] The forms are exceedingly varied, but names are assigned to each, either from the designers of the models or their special shapes or ornamentation; these may be found at length in _Marks and Monograms on Pottery and Porcelain_, 10th edition. The beautiful _pâte tendre_ ware of Sèvres was always much esteemed, and never could have been produced at a reasonable price even at the time it was made, the expense of decoration as well as the risk in firing being so great. It was manufactured for royal presents or occasionally sold by express permission at exorbitant prices, which bore a more approximate value to the present exorbitant prices than is generally supposed. GREAT BRITAIN POTTERY The earthenware vessels made in England previous to the 16th century were of a very coarse description, rudely fashioned and usually devoid of ornament, sometimes cast in a mould in grotesque forms, and occasionally covered with a yellow or green glaze. Numerous specimens of early English cups are found in excavations in London and other parts of England, and may be identified by comparison with the vessels in Norman and mediæval manuscripts.