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Lot Essay
The French 18th century fascination with oriental works of art is captured in these spectacular Kangxi period celadon vases, which have been transformed by a Parisian bronzier into spectacular ewers with dragon handles, the motif corresponding to the exotic nature of the porcelain. The Livre-Journal of the marchand-mercier, Lazare Duvaux illustrates how expensive such ormolu-mounted porcelain was already at that time, with Madame de Pompadour paying the extraordinary price of 1,680 livres for a pair of ormolu-mounted celadon ewers on 6 December 1751 (Ed. Louis Courajod, reprinted Paris, 1873, vol. II, p. 104, no. 967). Another entry in the Livre-Journal shows the cost of transforming vases into ewers: on 15 July 1750, Duvaux sold to le Chevalier de Genssin, 'La garniture en bronze doré d'or moulu de deux vases de la Chine, de quoi on a fait deux buires' for 288 livres (ibid., p. 5, no. 549).
The detailed manner in which these objects were described in contemporary sale catalogues indicates the esteem in which they were held. The 1768 sale catalogue for the collection of Monsieur L.J. Gaignat, a renowned collector and ancien Secrétaire du Roi, describes lot 92 as Deux Vases d'ancienne porcelain-céladon, gauffrée, craquel©e montés en buire avec un dragon, and lots 102 and 103 as Deux grands Vases de porcelain de la Chine & anses surmountés d'un dragon (Ed. Émile Dacier, Catalogues des Ventes de Livrets de Salons Illustrés par Gabriel de Saint-Aubin, Paris, 1921, p. 63 and 65). Interestingly, the artist Gabriel de Saint-Aubin illustrated his own copy of this sale catalogue with marginal drawings, showing the similarity of the mounts of lot 92 in that sale to those on the present vases.
Another pair of similarly decorated vases was listed in the 1782 inventory taken after the death of Louis-Marie-Augustin, 5th duc d'Aumont (D. Alcouffe, A. Dion-Tenenbaum, G. Mabille, Gilt bronzes in the Louvre, Paris, 2004, pp. 89-90, no. 40, and Ed. James Parker, le Cabinet du duc d'Aumont, New York, 1986, p. 94 and 96). The duc d'Aumont was an important collector of marble, porphory and porcelain vases many of which were embellished with magnificent mounts by the mâitre ciseleur doreur Pierre Gouthière in 1758. Lot 165 in the subsequent d'Aumont sale that took place the same year was acquired for Louis XVI by the painter Paillet for the princely sum of 1,340 l., and in 1793 transferred to the Louvre. Louis XVI acquired another pair of Chinese porcelain ewers also with dragon ormolu mounts, lot 161, from the 1782 sale.
The draco mounts are almost identical to those on a pair of vases at the Louvre [see illustration] and additionaly have comparable porcelain bodies depicting pine trees and deer in underglazed colours on a celadon ground. Virtually identical mounts are also on a pair of ewers at the Wrightsman Collection although the form and porcelain body differs from the present pair (F.J.B. Watson, The Wrightsman Collection, New York, vol. II, no. 242). Another pair of ewers again with identical mounts was sold at Christie's, London, 24 June 1971, lots 12 and 13. The similarity of the mounts of all the examples cited making it seem likely that they are possibly the production of a single fondeur-ciseleur's workshop.
A pair of ewers with similar mounts on a Japanese kakiemon porcelain body sold 'The Champalimaud Collection', Christie's London, 7 July 2005, lot 135 (£232,000).
The detailed manner in which these objects were described in contemporary sale catalogues indicates the esteem in which they were held. The 1768 sale catalogue for the collection of Monsieur L.J. Gaignat, a renowned collector and ancien Secrétaire du Roi, describes lot 92 as Deux Vases d'ancienne porcelain-céladon, gauffrée, craquel©e montés en buire avec un dragon, and lots 102 and 103 as Deux grands Vases de porcelain de la Chine & anses surmountés d'un dragon (Ed. Émile Dacier, Catalogues des Ventes de Livrets de Salons Illustrés par Gabriel de Saint-Aubin, Paris, 1921, p. 63 and 65). Interestingly, the artist Gabriel de Saint-Aubin illustrated his own copy of this sale catalogue with marginal drawings, showing the similarity of the mounts of lot 92 in that sale to those on the present vases.
Another pair of similarly decorated vases was listed in the 1782 inventory taken after the death of Louis-Marie-Augustin, 5th duc d'Aumont (D. Alcouffe, A. Dion-Tenenbaum, G. Mabille, Gilt bronzes in the Louvre, Paris, 2004, pp. 89-90, no. 40, and Ed. James Parker, le Cabinet du duc d'Aumont, New York, 1986, p. 94 and 96). The duc d'Aumont was an important collector of marble, porphory and porcelain vases many of which were embellished with magnificent mounts by the mâitre ciseleur doreur Pierre Gouthière in 1758. Lot 165 in the subsequent d'Aumont sale that took place the same year was acquired for Louis XVI by the painter Paillet for the princely sum of 1,340 l., and in 1793 transferred to the Louvre. Louis XVI acquired another pair of Chinese porcelain ewers also with dragon ormolu mounts, lot 161, from the 1782 sale.
The draco mounts are almost identical to those on a pair of vases at the Louvre [see illustration] and additionaly have comparable porcelain bodies depicting pine trees and deer in underglazed colours on a celadon ground. Virtually identical mounts are also on a pair of ewers at the Wrightsman Collection although the form and porcelain body differs from the present pair (F.J.B. Watson, The Wrightsman Collection, New York, vol. II, no. 242). Another pair of ewers again with identical mounts was sold at Christie's, London, 24 June 1971, lots 12 and 13. The similarity of the mounts of all the examples cited making it seem likely that they are possibly the production of a single fondeur-ciseleur's workshop.
A pair of ewers with similar mounts on a Japanese kakiemon porcelain body sold 'The Champalimaud Collection', Christie's London, 7 July 2005, lot 135 (£232,000).