Pair Louis XVI Ormolu Mounted Blue Poudre Porcelain Vases w Masks & Garlands

Description

Pair of Louis XVI French Ormolu Mounted and Chinese Blue Poudre Porcelain Double Handled Covered Vases with Hercules Masks and Laurel Garlands Each vase is formed with a tapering ovoid body rising from a stepped circular base to a narrow neck and fitted with a removable domed cover. The surface is finished in deep blue poudre porcelain with a glossy glaze. Ormolu mounts encase the rim, shoulder, and base, with cast and chased decoration throughout. The shoulder is applied with draped laurel garlands suspended between projecting masks of Hercules, each mask modeled with a bearded face framed by tied lion skin. Vertical double handles rise from the shoulder mounts as rectangular open frames, terminating near the cover. The cover is cast with radiating fluting and surmounted by a pinecone finial. The neck mount is formed as a band of upright acanthus leaves, while the base mount displays a repeating leaf border above a molded plinth. The porcelain elements were produced in China and later mounted in Paris workshops during the late eighteenth century. Chinese export porcelain was transported by maritime trade routes operated by European trading companies, arriving in France as undecorated or fully glazed wares intended for further embellishment. Parisian bronziers adapted these imported forms by applying ormolu mounts, creating objects suited to French interior decoration. No visible factory marks are present on the porcelain bodies, while the mounts correspond to established Paris casting and gilding methods of the period. Paris workshops specialized in the integration of porcelain and gilt bronze, using mercury gilding and detailed chasing to produce consistent surface finish. The use of Hercules masks and laurel garlands reflects motifs drawn from classical sources, commonly employed in Louis XVI decorative arts. The precise fitting of mounts to the porcelain contours and the preservation of both covers and handles indicate a complete example of this type, with materials and construction supporting its quality and relative scarcity. Ormolu Circa 1780, Paris Porcelain Circa 1760, China

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