Pair of vases

mounts ca. 1760–70, porcelain early 18th century

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 527

Chinese porcelain vases decorated with a celadon glaze enjoyed great popularity among French art collectors of the eighteenth century. Frequently they were fitted in France with gilt-bronze mounts that served to enhance the porcelain in the eyes of the potential buyer. The marchandsmerciers, who did so much to influence eighteenth-century French taste, were usually responsible for commissioning the gilt-bronze mounts, which were required to closely fit the shape of the vase. In the case of this pair of vases, the design of the mounts includes both Rococo and Neoclassical motifs, suggesting a date of manufacture between 1760 and 1770, a period of transition between the two styles. The mounts incorporate putti, floral swags, shells, and scrolling vegetation, all unrelated stylistically to the vase’s molded designs, which echo the decoration of archaic Chinese bronzes. Typically they venerate the Chinese porcelains while substantially transforming their appearance, creating a luxury object that is entirely French in taste. It is likely that this pair of vases was once owned by the great English collector William Beckford (1760–1844), who may have acquired them because of their strong association with eighteenth-century French aristocratic taste.

[Jeffrey H. Munger, 2010]

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

Title: Pair of vases
Date: mounts ca. 1760–70, porcelain early 18th century
Culture: Chinese with French mounts
Medium: Hard-paste porcelain; gilt-bronze mounts
Dimensions: Overall (each): 12 3/4 × 6 1/2 × 4 7/8 in. (32.4 × 16.5 × 12.4 cm)
Classification: Metalwork-Gilt Bronze
Credit Line: The Jules Bache Collection, 1949
Object Number: 49.7.80, .81
Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Audio

2269. Vases (pair)

0:00

JEFFREY MUNGER: It is clear from eighteenth-century inventories that more was more in eighteenth-century France.

NARRATOR: Curator Jeffrey Munger.

JEFFREY MUNGER: And that pieces of mounted Asian porcelain and other decorative objects were found everywhere in the interiors—on the tops of chests of drawers, on mantle pieces, and throughout the room in profusion.

NARRATOR: There are a number of these mounted Chinese vases in this room. Take a moment to look around. Items like these were among the most highly sought-after luxury objects in the eighteenth century. Promoting as well as profiting from this trend were Parisian luxury dealers, or marchand-merciers. They imported Asian porcelains, had them mounted in Paris, then sold them for exorbitant fees. In addition, to entice new clientele, they became taste-setters, inventing new types of gilt-bronze mounts for the porcelain.

JEFFREY MUNGER: One of the ironies, to me, is that the French thought this was a way of venerating the Asian porcelain. But in fact, they often changed the proportions of the porcelain in order to provide it with gilt-bronze mounts in the process, they make the object entirely French in character.

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