Designed in the form of a Grecian alabastron vase, this urn is closely related to those acquired by John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford (d. 1839) in Paris in 1803 (sold by the Trustees of the Bedford Estates in these Rooms, 9 June 1994, lot 110). Purchased from the marchand-mercier Dominique Daguerre and embellished with bronze doré executed by Pierre-Philippe Thomire, the Bedford vases originally formed part of a chimney garniture. Related Grecian urns, almost certainly turned in the Parisian workshops of the hôtel du garde-meuble under the directorship of Louis-Marie-Augustin, duc d'Aumont (d. 1782), appeared in the duc d'Aumont's sale in 1782, lot 4, when they were acquired by the marchand-mercier Julliot for Louis XVI