A Pair of Large Gilt-Bronze Mounted Chinese Celadon-Ground Porcelain Vases

Description

A Pair of Large Gilt-Bronze Mounted Chinese Celadon-Ground and Slip Decorated Porcelain Vases.

These vases of Chinese celadon porcelain from the late Quing Dynasty are slip-decorated with willow trees and prunus flowers. The finely sculpted gilt-bronze handles are modelled as winged merman term figures running on berried scrolled clasps to a rocaille raised foot.

These superb vases are in the tradition for mounting Chinese porcelain with gilt-bronze accoutrements made by ciseleur-doreurs such as Pierre Gouthière for the marchand-merciers, namely Dominique Daguerre and Simon-Philippe Poirier. The practice continued into the nineteenth century when Prince Regent, later George IV (1762-1830), sent Chinese porcelain vases from the Royal collection for mounting in ormolu by the royal clockmaker and bronzier, Benjamin Lewis Vulliamy (d. 1854) for the furnishing of Carlton House, and subsequently the Royal Pavilion, Brighton. The Prince Regent acquired numerous celadon vases with French gilt-bronze mounts, many of which are overdecorated in white porcelain slip, and examples comparable to this pair remain in the Royal Collection.

France, Circa 1840-60.