Chinoiserie/Orientalist French Silvered & Bronze Porcelain Jardinière w/ Dragons

Description

An extremely rare and unusual Chinoiserie, Orientalist, Islamic Antique French Silvered and Dore Bronze Mounted Porcelain Jardinière with Dragon Handles The jardinière is formed as a rectangular vessel with rounded corners, raised on a shaped gilt bronze base with scrolling feet and openwork panels. The porcelain body is set within a two tone mount combining gilt and silvered bronze, with a wide upper rim cast in relief with scrolling foliage and small reserves. The sides are framed by polychrome enamel borders composed of scrolling motifs and geometric bands. The main panel on one long side presents two seated female figures in landscape setting, enclosed within an arched reserve with a defined border. The opposite panel depicts a landscape with architectural structure, trees, and water. The shorter sides are decorated with symmetrical foliate patterns in polychrome enamel centered on a yellow ground. At each end, cast dragon form handles rise from the body, modeled with scaled bodies, open mouths, and curled tails, each suspending a pierced pendant element below. The jardinière is a French work produced in the late nineteenth century, combining porcelain panels with mounted bronze elements. The use of painted figural and landscape reserves within enamel borders reflects production associated with French workshops working in Orientalist and Chinoiserie styles. The integration of porcelain panels within a mounted bronze framework is consistent with decorative objects produced for display and use in interior settings during this period. The construction combines cast and chased bronze mounts with painted porcelain panels. The base shows openwork elements and applied decoration, while the rim and mounts are assembled to secure the porcelain body. The combination of silvered and gilt surfaces, together with multi panel porcelain decoration and sculptural handles, reflects a high level of production and a form encountered less frequently within comparable mounted porcelain objects of this type. Circa 1880

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