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Lot Essay
The present pair of vases corresponds to the Sèvres form vase à double colut, designed in 1854. There are two entries in the Sèvres archival sale books, 'la magasin de vente', for April 1864 described as follows: 'deux vase à double culot fond sous émail décor en or figures d'enfants et guirlands de fleurs en pâte d'application - selling for 800 francs each. (See Registre Vv7, folio 24, no. 28)
Also see Registre Vbb 12, folio 186 verso for evidence that these vases were presented at the Exposition Universelle de Paris in 1867 and then delivered to the L'Elysée, Residence Officielle in December and were likely to have been put at the disposition of Emperor Napoléon III and Empress Eugénie. See the James Dafforne, The Illustrated Catalogue of the Universal Exhibition, Published with the Art Journal, 1867-1868, p. 287, for the following review of Sèvres' pieces at the Paris Exposition, a reference that most likely includes the present vases: 'Speaking of color, we must not omit to mention the beautiful and delicate palish green of some of the Sèvres porcelain; it would be impossible to produce any tint so agreeable to the eye, and so adapted to the requirements of good taste, as this.'
Ferdinand Régnier, along with Leopold Jules Gély, was responsible for the early development of the pâte-sur-pâte technique at Sèvres. For an oval centerpiece (Cuve Ovale Ducerceau) in the same spirit and signed Régnier see Brigitte Ducrot, Porcelaines et Terres de Sèvres, Musée National du Château de Compiègne, Paris, 1993, p. 288. This piece is also recorded at the Elysèe Palace (no. 55-2) and is likely to relate to a number of celadon ground pieces which were presented at the Exposition and then later through the Mobilier de la Couronne appear at the palaces of the Tulleries, Compiègne and the Elysée.
In 1853, after his coup d'état, Napoleon ordered a complete renovation of the Elysée Palace. The Palace became the home to Eugénie de Montijo, the Emperor's fiancée. Napoleon III charged the architect Joseph-Eugène Lacroix with renovations that carried on until 1867. (Please note the present pair were delivered in December of that year). Since then the essential look of the Palais de l'Elysée has remained the same. It is likely that the present pair were placed at the disposition of the Royal couple and removed from the palace by them as they would otherwise be part of the Elysée inventories.
Also see Registre Vbb 12, folio 186 verso for evidence that these vases were presented at the Exposition Universelle de Paris in 1867 and then delivered to the L'Elysée, Residence Officielle in December and were likely to have been put at the disposition of Emperor Napoléon III and Empress Eugénie. See the James Dafforne, The Illustrated Catalogue of the Universal Exhibition, Published with the Art Journal, 1867-1868, p. 287, for the following review of Sèvres' pieces at the Paris Exposition, a reference that most likely includes the present vases: 'Speaking of color, we must not omit to mention the beautiful and delicate palish green of some of the Sèvres porcelain; it would be impossible to produce any tint so agreeable to the eye, and so adapted to the requirements of good taste, as this.'
Ferdinand Régnier, along with Leopold Jules Gély, was responsible for the early development of the pâte-sur-pâte technique at Sèvres. For an oval centerpiece (Cuve Ovale Ducerceau) in the same spirit and signed Régnier see Brigitte Ducrot, Porcelaines et Terres de Sèvres, Musée National du Château de Compiègne, Paris, 1993, p. 288. This piece is also recorded at the Elysèe Palace (no. 55-2) and is likely to relate to a number of celadon ground pieces which were presented at the Exposition and then later through the Mobilier de la Couronne appear at the palaces of the Tulleries, Compiègne and the Elysée.
In 1853, after his coup d'état, Napoleon ordered a complete renovation of the Elysée Palace. The Palace became the home to Eugénie de Montijo, the Emperor's fiancée. Napoleon III charged the architect Joseph-Eugène Lacroix with renovations that carried on until 1867. (Please note the present pair were delivered in December of that year). Since then the essential look of the Palais de l'Elysée has remained the same. It is likely that the present pair were placed at the disposition of the Royal couple and removed from the palace by them as they would otherwise be part of the Elysée inventories.