CIRCA 1880

Revival of the ancient régime in the late 19th century was paramount to the French furniture and bronze casting firms of the Belle Epoque. Imitation in the highest regard and replication of those tastes and styles was prevalent throughout the Paris Faubourg, where the most talented bronziers and ébénistes established their workshops.  The present vases recall the late 18th century's obsession with hardstones - a taste expounded above all by the duc d'Aumont and, subsequently Marie-Antoinette.  Such hardstone-mounted pieces, reminiscent of Renaissance schatzkammer objects, enjoyed a revived popularity at the end of the 18th century through the impetus of both the marchands-mercier and, more importantly, the hôtel des Menus-Plaisirs, where the duc d'Aumont himself established a workshop in 1770 specializing in the cutting and polishing of precious hardstones.

These exceptional vases, sumptuously-mounted with finely chased gilt-bronzes, incorporated highly-prized materials such as lustrous agate and flecked bloodstone. Bloodstone, also known as Heliotrope (as the Greeks believed if immersed in water it would turn the sun red) or Blood Jasper, is a type of dark green chalcedony with distinctive small red spots. A further variant, seen on the present vases, with a greater amount of red also belongs to the chalcedony family.  An identical pair of vases was sold Freeman’s, Philadelphia, 8 October 2014, lot 371 ($87,500).