Vase with cover (vase à flacon) (one of a pair) (1772, Met-Objekt 6153)
Original title: Vase with cover (vase à flacon) (one of a pair)
kurzbeschreibung
Made in 1772 at the Manufacture de Sèvres, this covered soft-paste porcelain vase belongs to a pair. Gilding and a painted landscape with three figures in an idyllic setting decorate it.
Description
The oval body is a deep green, framed by shining gold rims and two gold handles at the sides. The lid is green as well and carries a gold ring with foliage. Set into the front is a round picture field: trees and three people in historical dress, one seated on a rock, one standing with a harp, a third beside them. The painting uses strong, lively tones that stand out clearly against the glossy porcelain surface.
Context
In eighteenth-century France, the Manufacture de Sèvres counted as the leading porcelain factory and supplied mainly the royal court. This vase was made in 1772, within that world of costly luxury production. Such pieces often came in pairs and adorned the palaces of the nobility as representative objects. In form and painting they belong to the late Rococo, with its taste for elegant outlines and fine picture painting.
Impact
Luminous green and glossy gold applications give the vessel a splendid, distinguished character. The painted field opens up a narrative depth and draws the eye. Together the two produce a calm elegance characteristic of eighteenth-century courtly porcelain art.
Technique
The material was soft-paste porcelain, used at Sèvres before hard-paste porcelain was introduced. Green glaze and gold decoration were applied over several firings. The landscape was painted in enamel colors onto the already glazed surface and then fired so that the colors bonded firmly to the porcelain.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)