Lot Essay
Executed in the fashionable goût grec of the 1760s and of impressive scale and opulence, this exquisite vase evokes the oeuvres of the celebrated ciseleur-doreur du Roi, Pierre Gouthière (d. 1813) and his contemporaries. Modeled with entwined serpent handles, rams’ masks and suspended laurel garland, the design for this vase derives from prototypes ofAntiquity which was revived in a profusion of designs for objéts montées in the 1760s and 1770s. This is notably illustrated by the plethora of designs popularized in the second half of the 18th century by a select group of bronziers, sculptors, ornemanistes and designers, including the aforementioned Gouthière, as well as Jean-Guillaume Moitte (d. 1810) who supplied designs for use by William Beckford at Fonthill Abbey; and Ennemond Alexandre Petitot (d.1801) whose celebrated series of designs was published in 1764 and available throughout Europe. Also of note are the designs of the iconic sculpteur, ciseleur et doreur du Roi, Jean-Louis Prieur (d.1792). Prieur's designs for King Stanislas-Auguste Poniatowski's Royal Palace in Warsaw evoke an enduring legacy of the form with the 'Vase... du Boudoir' dated 1766 (see inset illustration). This sumptuous vase further relates to pair in white marble vases featuring rams’ masks suspending fruiting garlands, attributed to Gouthière, which were offered by Christie’s, London, 2 July 2024, lot 48. This design almost certainly derives from a design attributed to Ennemond Alexandre Petitot (1727-1801), published in Suite des vases tirée du cabinet de M. du Tillot marquis de Fellino: gravée à l'eau forte d'après les desseins originaux de M. le chevalier Ennemond Alexandre Petitot [...] par Benigno Bossi [...], 1764.