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Lot Essay
The Sèvres factory first produced vases à monter, or vases intended to be fitted with ormolu mounts, in around 1764. The main three forms of such vases assembled into garnitures were tapering cylindrical (of two differing dimensions, as seen in the present lot) and egg-shaped. These vases were then glazed, often in a solid ground colour and then sold largely to marchand-merciers who then embellished them with mounts.
These vases bear mounts of one of five basic styles. This indicates in all likelihood that the marchand-merciers who purchased the vases à monter produced their own signature mounts. A complete garniture incorporating a pair of egg-form vases, a pair of small cylindrical and one large cylindrical vase is in the Wadsworth Athenaeum, Hartford (see Linda H. Roth and Clare Le Corbeiller, French Eighteenth Century Porcelain at the Wadsworth Atheneum: The J. Pierpont Morgan Collection, 2000, p. 156, fig. 74.).
A closely related three-piece garniture, formerly in the collection of Mme. Jules Fribourg, is illustrated in S. Eriksen, Early Neo-Classicism in France, 1974, p. 363, fig. 242. Eriksen refers to an identical pair of vases, part of a garniture and also bearing the date letter 'q' for 1769, sold in the Erich von Goldschmidt-Rothschild sale, Berlin, 23 March 1931, lot 206. Other examples of vases include:- a pair from the Keck Collection, La Lanterne, Bel Air, California, sold Sotheby's, New York, 5-6 December 1991, lot 225; a pair sold Christie's London, 17 June 1987, lot 32; another pair, formerly part of a garniture, with apple green-ground from the collection of the late Earls of Sefton and sold by Christie's at Croxteth Hall, Liverpool, 17-20 September 1973, lot 908 and again Christie's London, 5 July 1984, lot 13; a three-piece garniture, again with apple green-ground sold from the Jaime Ortiz-Patiqno Collection, Sotheby's New York, 20 May 1992, lot 31; a pair and two garnitures of three, each on solid apple green-ground, formerly in the collection of the Marquess of Cholmondeley at Houghton, Norfolk, sold Christie's London, 8 December 1994, lots 36-38. A matched garniture with apple green-ground comprising a pair of smaller egg-shaped vases and a larger vase of similar form to that in the present lot was in the collection of George Byng at Wrotham, Bedfordshire, sold Christie's London, 9 June 2005, lot 1.
These vases bear mounts of one of five basic styles. This indicates in all likelihood that the marchand-merciers who purchased the vases à monter produced their own signature mounts. A complete garniture incorporating a pair of egg-form vases, a pair of small cylindrical and one large cylindrical vase is in the Wadsworth Athenaeum, Hartford (see Linda H. Roth and Clare Le Corbeiller, French Eighteenth Century Porcelain at the Wadsworth Atheneum: The J. Pierpont Morgan Collection, 2000, p. 156, fig. 74.).
A closely related three-piece garniture, formerly in the collection of Mme. Jules Fribourg, is illustrated in S. Eriksen, Early Neo-Classicism in France, 1974, p. 363, fig. 242. Eriksen refers to an identical pair of vases, part of a garniture and also bearing the date letter 'q' for 1769, sold in the Erich von Goldschmidt-Rothschild sale, Berlin, 23 March 1931, lot 206. Other examples of vases include:- a pair from the Keck Collection, La Lanterne, Bel Air, California, sold Sotheby's, New York, 5-6 December 1991, lot 225; a pair sold Christie's London, 17 June 1987, lot 32; another pair, formerly part of a garniture, with apple green-ground from the collection of the late Earls of Sefton and sold by Christie's at Croxteth Hall, Liverpool, 17-20 September 1973, lot 908 and again Christie's London, 5 July 1984, lot 13; a three-piece garniture, again with apple green-ground sold from the Jaime Ortiz-Patiqno Collection, Sotheby's New York, 20 May 1992, lot 31; a pair and two garnitures of three, each on solid apple green-ground, formerly in the collection of the Marquess of Cholmondeley at Houghton, Norfolk, sold Christie's London, 8 December 1994, lots 36-38. A matched garniture with apple green-ground comprising a pair of smaller egg-shaped vases and a larger vase of similar form to that in the present lot was in the collection of George Byng at Wrotham, Bedfordshire, sold Christie's London, 9 June 2005, lot 1.