Lot Essay
These large tripod-supported Grecian vases, with altar-decorated bas-reliefs and inscribed prayers to a goddess, would originally have been conceived as oil-lamps. An example of the collaboration between Ferdinand Levillain (d.1905), the late 19th century sculpteur-ornemaniste, and Ferdinand Barbedienne (d.1892), perhaps the most celebrated bronzier of the same era, this model vase was first shown at the Paris Exposition Universelle in 1878 (see the Exhibition catalogue illustration opposite).
Another pair of these vases, without plinths, sold Christie's New York, 24 April 2001, lot 251 ($68,150).
Another pair of these vases, without plinths, sold Christie's New York, 24 April 2001, lot 251 ($68,150).