Lot Essay
The krater-shaped vases, on Grecian-stepped plinths, were originally embellished with medallion portraits hung on their ovoid bluejohn bodies, above the laurel-festoons that are suspended from bacchic goat-head handles. The pair were manufactured at Messrs. Matthew Boulton and John Fothergill's Soho Works and the pattern is referred to in the firm's 1770 order memorandum for 9th September as a pair of goat's head vases 'of the purple stone'. The latter were noted as being without medals and so correspond to the sketch in the firm's Pattern Book I (p. 171; illustrated in N. Goodison, Ormolu, The Work of Matthew Boulton, London, 1974, pl. 161, fig. m). Goodison (op.cit.) illustrates another vase lacking its medals (fig. 125) and a related pair executed without medals (figs. 119, 121 and 122). Among other vases manufactured without medals, was a pair sold by Mrs. A.E. Gell, Sotheby's London, 11 April 1975, lot 40, and another pair sold anonymously, Sotheby's London, 17 November 1989, lot 10. A pair of similar bluejohn cassolettes with their classical portrait medallions, was sold from the Fermor-Hesketh Collection, in these Rooms, 7 July 1988, lot 3.