Lot Essay
This rare and monumental pair of vases is a perfect illustration of the period in which they were created: the profusion of Parisian ideas, techniques and designs that spread across Europe almost simultaneously. Although these vases are similar in many ways to known French examples, the chasing and motifs suggest that they were made in Vienna, rather than Paris.
Chinese porcelain mounted in gilded bronze
The design of our Kangxi porcelain vases is reminiscent of a covered bowl in the J. Paul Getty Museum (inv. 87.DI.4). Chinese porcelain transformed by bronze mounts reached its apogee thanks to merchant dealers such as Lazare Duvaux (1703-1758) and Dominique Daguerre (died 1796). The craze for mounted exotic porcelain became so strong that the price of the mount outstripped the value of the porcelain itself. Moreover, the very detailed descriptions of these luxury objects in the sales of the second half of the 18th century contrast with the much more succinct descriptions of unmounted Chinese porcelain found in earlier inventories.
Cultural exchanges between France and China
It should be remembered that it was through maritime trade, and later through migratory flows, that Europeans discovered China. In 1698, the King of Siam and his court presented Louis XIV with ‘more than 1,500 pieces of precious porcelain and lacquer’ (S. Schwatz, ‘Objet relations, China at Versailles : Art and Diplomacy in the 18th century’, in Apollo, July-August 2014, pp. 90-91). This gave rise to a craze for chinoiserie in France, and more widely in Europe in the eighteenth century, thanks in particular to the study of new decorative techniques previously unknown, revealed by the annual reports of Jesuit priests sent to China.
Viennese bronziers
In the 18th century, the Archduchy of Austria, in competition with other European countries, wanted to develop its academies and factories in order to demonstrate its artistic and financial power. The city of Vienna underwent great development. In 1773, Empress Maria Theresa established the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts with the aim of ‘raising the standard of workmanship [...] to achieve the cultural and economic independence of European centres such as London and Paris’ (W. Koeppe, Vienna circa 1780: An Imperial Silver Service Recorded, New York, 2011, p. 19).
During this period, many bronze smiths emerged in Vienna and were also registered as goldsmiths. For example, the director of the Academy, Anton Domanöck (1713-1779), supplied steel and an ormolu pedestal table with a petrified wood top to Marie-Antoinette in 1770; or Ignaz Joseph Würth (died 1792), an eminent member of the Viennese silversmiths and supplier to the imperial family, who signed the gilded bronze mounts of a pair of petrified wood vases commissioned by Empress Maria Theresa, then bequeathed on her death in 1780 to her son-in-law Louis XVI and now kept at the Petit Trianon (Koeppe, op. cit, p. 22).
Comparable works
Similar works have appeared on the art market. They are porcelain vases with red enamelled decoration, dating from the Kangxi period and without gilt bronze mounts: Christie's sale, London, 8 June 2004, lot 333; Christie's sale, London, 11 November 2011, lot 1360; Christie's sale, New York, 21 March 2015, lot 1045.
Chinese porcelain mounted in gilded bronze
The design of our Kangxi porcelain vases is reminiscent of a covered bowl in the J. Paul Getty Museum (inv. 87.DI.4). Chinese porcelain transformed by bronze mounts reached its apogee thanks to merchant dealers such as Lazare Duvaux (1703-1758) and Dominique Daguerre (died 1796). The craze for mounted exotic porcelain became so strong that the price of the mount outstripped the value of the porcelain itself. Moreover, the very detailed descriptions of these luxury objects in the sales of the second half of the 18th century contrast with the much more succinct descriptions of unmounted Chinese porcelain found in earlier inventories.
Cultural exchanges between France and China
It should be remembered that it was through maritime trade, and later through migratory flows, that Europeans discovered China. In 1698, the King of Siam and his court presented Louis XIV with ‘more than 1,500 pieces of precious porcelain and lacquer’ (S. Schwatz, ‘Objet relations, China at Versailles : Art and Diplomacy in the 18th century’, in Apollo, July-August 2014, pp. 90-91). This gave rise to a craze for chinoiserie in France, and more widely in Europe in the eighteenth century, thanks in particular to the study of new decorative techniques previously unknown, revealed by the annual reports of Jesuit priests sent to China.
Viennese bronziers
In the 18th century, the Archduchy of Austria, in competition with other European countries, wanted to develop its academies and factories in order to demonstrate its artistic and financial power. The city of Vienna underwent great development. In 1773, Empress Maria Theresa established the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts with the aim of ‘raising the standard of workmanship [...] to achieve the cultural and economic independence of European centres such as London and Paris’ (W. Koeppe, Vienna circa 1780: An Imperial Silver Service Recorded, New York, 2011, p. 19).
During this period, many bronze smiths emerged in Vienna and were also registered as goldsmiths. For example, the director of the Academy, Anton Domanöck (1713-1779), supplied steel and an ormolu pedestal table with a petrified wood top to Marie-Antoinette in 1770; or Ignaz Joseph Würth (died 1792), an eminent member of the Viennese silversmiths and supplier to the imperial family, who signed the gilded bronze mounts of a pair of petrified wood vases commissioned by Empress Maria Theresa, then bequeathed on her death in 1780 to her son-in-law Louis XVI and now kept at the Petit Trianon (Koeppe, op. cit, p. 22).
Comparable works
Similar works have appeared on the art market. They are porcelain vases with red enamelled decoration, dating from the Kangxi period and without gilt bronze mounts: Christie's sale, London, 8 June 2004, lot 333; Christie's sale, London, 11 November 2011, lot 1360; Christie's sale, New York, 21 March 2015, lot 1045.