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Lot Essay
Emerging from a dense cluster of bulrushes held by a richly-chased acanthus leaf, the swan neck handles of these vases extend across a body of costly green Greek porphyry, their beaks ever so slightly agape. Exemplifying the predilection for carved and polished hardstone objects inspired by the marbles of antiquity, the finely chased mounts of this pair of vases allude to the growing interest in the iconography of classical mythology and the natural world that marked the development of neoclassicism in late 18th century France.
The handles of the present model, with a large acanthus leaf issuing bulrushes, reflects well the great skill of the Parisian bronziers of the late 18th century and the value attached to finely chased ormolu-mounted objects. A number of related vases from distinguished collections, with the same swan and foliate handles but with variations of a pinecone finial, pierced potpourri rim beneath the cover and without the beaded border around the socle include a pair in white marble sold from the Keck Collection, Sotheby’s, New York, 4 December 1991, lot 215, a further pair in green onyx sold from the collection of Lady Bateman, Christie’s 10 July 1919, lot 115, and a single vase in alabaster formerly in the collection of Louis Burat, sold Ader Picard Tajan, 21 June 1989, lot 65. While the swan has long held a place in the iconography of art as an allegory of love and sensuality, it is not until the late 18th and early 19th centuries that it was employed with any frequency in the decorative arts. From the 1770s the motif began to be used in a number of commissions for the most discerning patrons, as illustrated by a pair of vases with swan handles by the eminent bronzier and ciseleur-doreur Pierre Gouthière currently preserved in the Louvre (inv. OA5182) and possibly commissioned by the Marquis de Clermont d’Amboise.
The form of these vases and the employment of Greek green porphyry with neoclassical plinth and border mounts recalls two contemporary vases made by Pierre Gouthière for the duc d’Aumont, currently preserved in the Louvre (inv. OA 5179 and inv. OA 5178). The duc d’Aumont was the most famed connoisseur of ormolu-mounted hardstone objects in the 18th century and the legendary sale of his collection in 1782 saw frenzied bidding from collectors including Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette. That two of the duc d’Aumont’s most desirable objects should be made of the same stone as our vases, called ‘serpentin antique’ in the 18th century catalogue, demonstrates the rarity and allure of this material.
The handles of the present model, with a large acanthus leaf issuing bulrushes, reflects well the great skill of the Parisian bronziers of the late 18th century and the value attached to finely chased ormolu-mounted objects. A number of related vases from distinguished collections, with the same swan and foliate handles but with variations of a pinecone finial, pierced potpourri rim beneath the cover and without the beaded border around the socle include a pair in white marble sold from the Keck Collection, Sotheby’s, New York, 4 December 1991, lot 215, a further pair in green onyx sold from the collection of Lady Bateman, Christie’s 10 July 1919, lot 115, and a single vase in alabaster formerly in the collection of Louis Burat, sold Ader Picard Tajan, 21 June 1989, lot 65. While the swan has long held a place in the iconography of art as an allegory of love and sensuality, it is not until the late 18th and early 19th centuries that it was employed with any frequency in the decorative arts. From the 1770s the motif began to be used in a number of commissions for the most discerning patrons, as illustrated by a pair of vases with swan handles by the eminent bronzier and ciseleur-doreur Pierre Gouthière currently preserved in the Louvre (inv. OA5182) and possibly commissioned by the Marquis de Clermont d’Amboise.
The form of these vases and the employment of Greek green porphyry with neoclassical plinth and border mounts recalls two contemporary vases made by Pierre Gouthière for the duc d’Aumont, currently preserved in the Louvre (inv. OA 5179 and inv. OA 5178). The duc d’Aumont was the most famed connoisseur of ormolu-mounted hardstone objects in the 18th century and the legendary sale of his collection in 1782 saw frenzied bidding from collectors including Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette. That two of the duc d’Aumont’s most desirable objects should be made of the same stone as our vases, called ‘serpentin antique’ in the 18th century catalogue, demonstrates the rarity and allure of this material.