Vase with cover (vase à flacon) (one of a pair) (1772, Met-Objekt 6152)
Original title: Vase with cover (vase à flacon) (one of a pair)
kurzbeschreibung
The Manufacture de Sèvres made this soft-paste porcelain vase in 1772. It belongs to a pair and carries a relief decoration showing a rural idyll in which a woman plays a harp. Gilt handles and a gilt ornament on the lid finish the vessel.
Description
A deep green sets the vase's overall tone, topped by a gilt lid ornament. In relief, a woman in a yellow dress plays a harp, joined by two more figures beside a river. Gilt handles and lid decorations complete the picture, while the plain backdrop draws the eye to the porcelain.
Context
In the eighteenth century the Manufacture de Sèvres ranked as France's leading porcelain factory and supplied the royal court. Covered vases of this kind often served as showpieces in formal rooms. The date 1772 falls in the reign of Louis XV, a period when the nobility and the royal household sought out such objects in great numbers.
Impact
The strong green glaze together with the gilt ornament gives the vase a refined yet lively presence. The pastoral relief invites a lingering look and creates a calm, idyllic mood. As a pair, the symmetry underlines the object's decorative ambition.
Technique
Soft-paste porcelain forms the body of the vase, as was typical for Sèvres in the eighteenth century. The relief decoration was shaped into the still unfired mass and then glazed. The gilt parts were applied with gold firing colours, which yield a shining contrast to the green glaze.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)