A Pair of French Ormolu Mounted Chinese Cloisonne Enamel Chrysanthemum Vases

Description

A Fabulous and Quite Impressive Pair of French Ormolu Mounted Chinese White Ground Cloisonne Enamel Chrysanthemum Vases. The surfaces are covered in cloisonne enamel decoration set against a white ground, arranged with repeated chrysanthemum motifs surrounded by scrolling foliage. The colors include blue, green, yellow, and auburn, placed within thin metal cloisons that follow the curvature of each section. The rims are finished with plain metal bands, and the interiors retain the original metal. The lower portions of the vases meet short enameled foot sections decorated with flower heads and vertical leaf forms in blue and green tones. The ormolu bases were made in Paris around the mid 1800s most probably by Barbedienne, known for creating some of the best gilt bronze mounts for decorative objects. The bases consist of stepped circular platforms with cast scrollwork, ridged borders, and uniform gilded surfaces. The underside construction shows enclosed metal platforms and securing elements joining the cloisonne bodies to the mounts. This combination of Chinese enamel vessels and French ormolu bases follows a documented 19th century practice in which earlier enamel works were adapted into mounted display pieces. The materials include enamel over metal for the vase bodies and cast gilt bronze for the mounts. The chrysanthemum decoration forms continuous coverage over each surface, arranged in symmetrical repetition along the bodies and necks. Paris, Circa: 1850

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