Lot 21
21
A pair of magnificent two-handled porcelain vases on stands
No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VA… Read more
A pair of magnificent two-handled porcelain vases on stands

BY THE IMPERIAL PORCELAIN FACTORY, PERIOD OF NICHOLAS I

Details
A pair of magnificent two-handled porcelain vases on stands
by the Imperial Porcelain Factory, period of Nicholas I
Each of amphora form, on square ormolu plinth, the circular domed foot and shoulders with bands of ciselé gilt foliate patterns, the white ground stem and flared rim with gilt foliate and reeded scrolls, the calyx of moulded and gilded acanthus, with fine ormolu beaded and stiff-leaf mounts, the body painted as a gilt basket overflowing with wild and cultivated flowers, fruit and foliage with butterflies and insects, with two gilt reeded and foliate scroll handles, marked inside rims, on wood pillar stands painted to simulate marble
35½ in. (90 cm.) high, excluding stands (2)
Provenance
By repute Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaievna, Queen of Württemberg.
Baroness von Münchingen.
Ditzingen Palace.
At Galerie Neuse, Bremen, June 1997.
Acquired from the above by the present owner.
Special notice
No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 15% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

Lot Essay

During the reign of Nicholas I (1825-55) large vases were produced by The Imperial Porcelain Factory both as gifts to the Emperor for his palaces and as presents to ruling monarchs of Europe, including Queen Victoria of England, the King of Prussia and other Crown Princes and Princesses.

Krasovskii was a master of flower painting at the Imperial Porcelain Factory and probably painted the floral decoration on these vases. Under the direction of V. Mestcheryakov, flower painters were sent to the botanical gardens as well as using specimens from the factory's orangery to reproduce a wide variety of flowers from nature. The technical and artistic abilities of the artist and high standard of manufacture, together with such attention to detail won the Imperial Porcelain Factory a gold medal at the Great Exhibition in London in 1851.


By repute the present vases were given by Queen Olga to her lady-in-waiting, a member of the Münchingen family. After the Münchingen line became extinct in 1891, these remained in Ditzingen Palace until the 1990's.

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