BY MATTHEW BOULTON, CIRCA 1771-2

Nicholas Goodison attributes candle vases of this form to Boulton and Fothergill, and whilst he notes that there is no drawing in the pattern books which corresponds to this design, their construction and various elements of their design mark them out as definitively the product of the Soho manufactory (Goodison, op. cit., 2002, fig. 267). The stamped guilloche bands seen on the present vases appear frequently on vases from Soho, for example on a vase and burner in the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery (ibid., fig. 253). This model may have been conceived with a cap or cover, but almost all known examples now lack covers. Identical pairs of blue john vases have appeared on the market including: a pair sold anonymously, Christie’s, London, 11 September 2008, lot 94 (£31,250); and a further pair sold anonymously, Christie’s, London, 24-14 July 2000, lot 45 (£16,250). This form of vase was executed in white marble as well as blue john, including a pair illustrated in the first edition of Nicholas Goodison’s book which uniquely did include small caps/covers (Goodison, op. cit. 1974, fig. 133). A further pair of white marble vases was sold anonymously, '50 Years of Collecting: Decorative Arts of Georgian England', Christie's, London, 14 May 2003, lot 101 (£33,460 with premium); and a further pair was sold anonymously, Christie’s, London, 24 April 2008, lot 56.