Lot Essay
This impressive vase en forme d'urne cinéraire is closely related to two further examples of comparable proportions and shape, formerly in the Garde-Meuble and now in the Salon Rond at the Grand Trianon, Versailles (ill. in D. Ledoux-Lebard, Le Grand Trianon, Meubles et objets d'art, Paris, 1975, p. 84).
The present lot is almost certainly one of two vases given to Henrietta Louisa Ulrika, wife of Pehr Tham circa 1792. The vase is described in the Tham inventories as: '(...) an urn of oriental marble, a piece of 87 kilos' and is illustrated in the library of Dagsnäs in the early 20th Century (Slott och Herresäten i Sverige, vol. I, Dagsnäs, pp.60-74).
The Thams were a wealthy and powerful family in late 18th Century Sweden. Dagsnäs, the family residence, was acquired by Pehr Thams in 1760. Part of the Swedish intellegenzia, the Thams revolved around the cultural and artistic circles of late 18th Century Sweden, their family residence boasting the most precious furniture, pictures and books.
The present lot is almost certainly one of two vases given to Henrietta Louisa Ulrika, wife of Pehr Tham circa 1792. The vase is described in the Tham inventories as: '(...) an urn of oriental marble, a piece of 87 kilos' and is illustrated in the library of Dagsnäs in the early 20th Century (Slott och Herresäten i Sverige, vol. I, Dagsnäs, pp.60-74).
The Thams were a wealthy and powerful family in late 18th Century Sweden. Dagsnäs, the family residence, was acquired by Pehr Thams in 1760. Part of the Swedish intellegenzia, the Thams revolved around the cultural and artistic circles of late 18th Century Sweden, their family residence boasting the most precious furniture, pictures and books.