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| Candelabra of porcelain vases 1765-1770 Crown Copyright The Royal Collection This and all related images courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II |
Made between 1765 and 1770, these vases are crafted of soft-paste porcelain and painted a deep blue enamel ground. The work of the Sèvres Porcelain Factory, they've had gilt bronze mounts added to make them function as candelabra and, also, to give the appearance that these were older pieces retrofitted for another use.
The pair was acquired by King George IV and they were recorded in the Royal Collection in 1826 as being in the Small Store Room under the Clock. They are described as "A pair of Blue seve Porcelain Jars and Covers mounted in Ormolu, scroll Branches for two lights, festooned, Octagonal Bases. 12 ½ Inches high."
With their ormolu fittings, the pair is a superb early example of the new trend toward Chinese style objects which defined mid-eighteenth century decorative arts. Sèvres and other makers would often try to pass off their wares as genuine Chinese artifacts.
The curator of the Royal Collection tells us:
The pair was acquired by King George IV and they were recorded in the Royal Collection in 1826 as being in the Small Store Room under the Clock. They are described as "A pair of Blue seve Porcelain Jars and Covers mounted in Ormolu, scroll Branches for two lights, festooned, Octagonal Bases. 12 ½ Inches high."
With their ormolu fittings, the pair is a superb early example of the new trend toward Chinese style objects which defined mid-eighteenth century decorative arts. Sèvres and other makers would often try to pass off their wares as genuine Chinese artifacts.
The curator of the Royal Collection tells us:
So successful were the potters at Sèvres at producing such counterfeit pieces that, in 1829, the then Director of the manufactory, Alexandre Brongniart, bought a pair in the mistaken belief that he was acquiring Chinese vases!
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