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Lot Essay
VASES A MONTER
The Sèvres factory produced vases à monter, or vases intended to be fitted with ormolu mounts, beginning in around 1764. The main three forms of such vases assembled into garnitures were tapering cylindrical (of two differing dimensions) and egg-shaped. These finished glazed vases were sold largely to marchand-merciers who then embellished them with mounts. The earlier vases were glazed in solid ground colours, although invoices exist for pieces decorated with green and blue grounds scattered with foliate wreaths centered by roses by 1770.
These vases bear mounts of one of five basic styles. This indicates in all likelihood that the marchand-merciers who purchased the vases à monter produced their own signature mounts. A complete garniture incorporating a pair of egg-form vases, a pair of small cylindrical and one large cylindrical vase is in the Wadsworth Athenaeum, Hartford (L.H. Roth, C. Le Corbeiller, French Eighteenth Century Porcelain at the Wadsworth Atheneum: The J. Pierpont Morgan Collection, 2000, p. 156, fig. 74).
A three-piece garniture with the same smaller cylindrical vases, formerly in the collection of Mme. Jules Fribourg, is illustrated in S. Eriksen, Early Neo-Classicism in France, 1974, p. 363, fig 242, while another identical in shape with green porcelain ground and bearing the date letter 'q' for 1769, was sold in the Erich von Goldschmidt-Rothschild sale, Berlin, 23 March 1931, lot 206. Other examples of vases include:- a pair from the Keck Collection, La Lanterne, Bel Air, California, sold Sotheby's, New York, 5 - 6 December 1991, lot 225; a pair sold Christie's, London, 17 June 1987, lot 32; another pair, formerly part of a garniture, with apple-green ground from the collection of the Late Earl of Sefton and sold by Christie's at Croxteth Hall, Liverpool, 17 - 20 September 1973, lot 908, and again Christie's, London, 5 July 1984, lot 13; a three-piece garniture, again with apple-green ground sold from the Jaime Ortiz-Patiño Collection, Sotheby's, New York, 20 May 1992, lot 31; a pair and two garnitures of three, each on solid apple green ground, sold from Houghton, Christie's, London, 8 December 1994, lots 36 - 38 (see lot 101 in this sale for the Houghton lot 37); a garniture of three green-ground vases all of identical shapes as the offered lot and with date letters for 1769 and previously owned by George Byng, sold anonymously, Christie's, London, 9 June 2005, lot 1; and finally a set of three green-ground examples with floral reserves from the Sir Arthur Gilbert collection sold Christie's, New York, 21 October 2005, lot 331.
The Sèvres factory produced vases à monter, or vases intended to be fitted with ormolu mounts, beginning in around 1764. The main three forms of such vases assembled into garnitures were tapering cylindrical (of two differing dimensions) and egg-shaped. These finished glazed vases were sold largely to marchand-merciers who then embellished them with mounts. The earlier vases were glazed in solid ground colours, although invoices exist for pieces decorated with green and blue grounds scattered with foliate wreaths centered by roses by 1770.
These vases bear mounts of one of five basic styles. This indicates in all likelihood that the marchand-merciers who purchased the vases à monter produced their own signature mounts. A complete garniture incorporating a pair of egg-form vases, a pair of small cylindrical and one large cylindrical vase is in the Wadsworth Athenaeum, Hartford (L.H. Roth, C. Le Corbeiller, French Eighteenth Century Porcelain at the Wadsworth Atheneum: The J. Pierpont Morgan Collection, 2000, p. 156, fig. 74).
A three-piece garniture with the same smaller cylindrical vases, formerly in the collection of Mme. Jules Fribourg, is illustrated in S. Eriksen, Early Neo-Classicism in France, 1974, p. 363, fig 242, while another identical in shape with green porcelain ground and bearing the date letter 'q' for 1769, was sold in the Erich von Goldschmidt-Rothschild sale, Berlin, 23 March 1931, lot 206. Other examples of vases include:- a pair from the Keck Collection, La Lanterne, Bel Air, California, sold Sotheby's, New York, 5 - 6 December 1991, lot 225; a pair sold Christie's, London, 17 June 1987, lot 32; another pair, formerly part of a garniture, with apple-green ground from the collection of the Late Earl of Sefton and sold by Christie's at Croxteth Hall, Liverpool, 17 - 20 September 1973, lot 908, and again Christie's, London, 5 July 1984, lot 13; a three-piece garniture, again with apple-green ground sold from the Jaime Ortiz-Patiño Collection, Sotheby's, New York, 20 May 1992, lot 31; a pair and two garnitures of three, each on solid apple green ground, sold from Houghton, Christie's, London, 8 December 1994, lots 36 - 38 (see lot 101 in this sale for the Houghton lot 37); a garniture of three green-ground vases all of identical shapes as the offered lot and with date letters for 1769 and previously owned by George Byng, sold anonymously, Christie's, London, 9 June 2005, lot 1; and finally a set of three green-ground examples with floral reserves from the Sir Arthur Gilbert collection sold Christie's, New York, 21 October 2005, lot 331.