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拍品专文
Masterpieces combining precious Chinese porcelain with richly chased ormolu, these beautiful vases epitomize the skills of 18th-century craftsmen in the finest tradition of Parisian excellence.
Celadon porcelain wares from China were highly prized by connoisseurs in the 18th century in France for their rarity and subtle colors, and were often embellished with jewel-like ormolu mounts. The 1750s saw the gradual shift away from porcelain with blue and white or famille verte decoration in favor of monochrome pieces that highlighted the chased bronze mounts. Whether they were incised in the Longquan style, as in the present lots, or crackled, celadon pieces were particularly popular, as were porcelains known as truitées, or crackled grey and monochrome blues in a wide range of shades such as turquoise and cobalt.
Gilt bronze, a French craft par excellence, was intended both to enrich these rare objects and to reflect the style of the time. The fashion appeared in the Régence period and developed most successfully within the decorative exuberance that characterized the reign of Louis XV. Later, Greek and Etruscan-style mounts were added, usually under the guidance of a marchand-mercier. These remarkable pieces, wrought by several hands, illustrate the creative process and the workings of the luxury Parisian decorative arts market in the 18th century. They were the result of a close collaboration between ornemanistes, artisans, marchands-merciers and clients and involved importing exceptional Chinese ceramics into France where the production of hard-paste porcelain had not yet been established. The resulting objets d’art were out of reach for all but a few select clientele, who paid a premium for this sought after and rare commodity.
JEAN-CLAUDE CHAMBELLAN DUPLESSIS
The quality of the bronzes and the distinctive and refined design of the scrolls allow us to attribute these vases to Jean-Claude Chambellan Duplessis. Originally from Italy, in 1735 Duplessis moved to Paris, where he stayed at the Hôtel de Soissons with the Prince de Carignan, who undoubtedly facilitated Duplessis's access to accommodation at the Louvre from 1749 on. From 1748 until his death, he designed most of the models for the Manufacture de Vincennes and later for the porcelain manufactory at Sèvres, where he was artistic director. Duplessis enjoyed the protection of the minister d’Argenson and could work both in bronze and gold, even before he became orfèvre du roi in 1758, as shown by the remarkable braziers given by Louis XV to the Ottoman ambassador Mehmed Said Efendi in 1742, now in the Topkapi Museum, Istanbul. From then on Duplessis created mounts for both French porcelain produced at Sèvres and for Chinese porcelain vases. He created his most ambitious and highly original works in in collaboration with the famous marchand-mercier Lazare Duvaux.
The vases presented here are still rococo in spirit, though their sinuous curves are tamed in line with the emerging rocaille symétrisée style. They display many of the highly recognizable characteristics of the Duplessis style: the chasing is of the highest quality; the foliage is finely cut and the ornamentation reveals a great sense of detail. Duplessis truly excelled in finessing his objects with great attention that resulted in a play of light and shadow and emphasized the structure of the moldings.
The model of lot 42 was a great success with the patrons of the time. A closely related pair of celadon vases with identical mounts can be found in the Royal Collection Trust (Inv. RCIN 39205). Interestingly, these forms were later copied at the Manufacture de Sèvres in 1758, where the model was known as the 'vase d'après l'ancien', demonstrating the manufactory’s desire to compete with the objects from China highly popular at the time. Later, a certain analogy between lot 42 and certain famous pieces made at the Manufacture de Sèvres emerged. Indeed, the base of the vase alone is identical to those of two emblematic works designed by Duplessis: the famous elephant-head candelabras and the “Masted Ship” vase commissioned by Madame de Pompadour and delivered by the Manufacture de Sèvres on 30 May 1760 to decorate her Hôtel d'Evreux in the Faubourg Saint-Honoré. Today, these pieces can be seen in collections all over the world, including the Louvre (Inv. OA 10965), the Wallace Collection (Inv. C246-7; C.248-50; C.256), and the Metropolitan Museum of Art (e.g., Inv. 58.75.89a; 58.75.90a, b), reflecting the considerable success of Duplessis's designs.
Celadon porcelain wares from China were highly prized by connoisseurs in the 18th century in France for their rarity and subtle colors, and were often embellished with jewel-like ormolu mounts. The 1750s saw the gradual shift away from porcelain with blue and white or famille verte decoration in favor of monochrome pieces that highlighted the chased bronze mounts. Whether they were incised in the Longquan style, as in the present lots, or crackled, celadon pieces were particularly popular, as were porcelains known as truitées, or crackled grey and monochrome blues in a wide range of shades such as turquoise and cobalt.
Gilt bronze, a French craft par excellence, was intended both to enrich these rare objects and to reflect the style of the time. The fashion appeared in the Régence period and developed most successfully within the decorative exuberance that characterized the reign of Louis XV. Later, Greek and Etruscan-style mounts were added, usually under the guidance of a marchand-mercier. These remarkable pieces, wrought by several hands, illustrate the creative process and the workings of the luxury Parisian decorative arts market in the 18th century. They were the result of a close collaboration between ornemanistes, artisans, marchands-merciers and clients and involved importing exceptional Chinese ceramics into France where the production of hard-paste porcelain had not yet been established. The resulting objets d’art were out of reach for all but a few select clientele, who paid a premium for this sought after and rare commodity.
JEAN-CLAUDE CHAMBELLAN DUPLESSIS
The quality of the bronzes and the distinctive and refined design of the scrolls allow us to attribute these vases to Jean-Claude Chambellan Duplessis. Originally from Italy, in 1735 Duplessis moved to Paris, where he stayed at the Hôtel de Soissons with the Prince de Carignan, who undoubtedly facilitated Duplessis's access to accommodation at the Louvre from 1749 on. From 1748 until his death, he designed most of the models for the Manufacture de Vincennes and later for the porcelain manufactory at Sèvres, where he was artistic director. Duplessis enjoyed the protection of the minister d’Argenson and could work both in bronze and gold, even before he became orfèvre du roi in 1758, as shown by the remarkable braziers given by Louis XV to the Ottoman ambassador Mehmed Said Efendi in 1742, now in the Topkapi Museum, Istanbul. From then on Duplessis created mounts for both French porcelain produced at Sèvres and for Chinese porcelain vases. He created his most ambitious and highly original works in in collaboration with the famous marchand-mercier Lazare Duvaux.
The vases presented here are still rococo in spirit, though their sinuous curves are tamed in line with the emerging rocaille symétrisée style. They display many of the highly recognizable characteristics of the Duplessis style: the chasing is of the highest quality; the foliage is finely cut and the ornamentation reveals a great sense of detail. Duplessis truly excelled in finessing his objects with great attention that resulted in a play of light and shadow and emphasized the structure of the moldings.
The model of lot 42 was a great success with the patrons of the time. A closely related pair of celadon vases with identical mounts can be found in the Royal Collection Trust (Inv. RCIN 39205). Interestingly, these forms were later copied at the Manufacture de Sèvres in 1758, where the model was known as the 'vase d'après l'ancien', demonstrating the manufactory’s desire to compete with the objects from China highly popular at the time. Later, a certain analogy between lot 42 and certain famous pieces made at the Manufacture de Sèvres emerged. Indeed, the base of the vase alone is identical to those of two emblematic works designed by Duplessis: the famous elephant-head candelabras and the “Masted Ship” vase commissioned by Madame de Pompadour and delivered by the Manufacture de Sèvres on 30 May 1760 to decorate her Hôtel d'Evreux in the Faubourg Saint-Honoré. Today, these pieces can be seen in collections all over the world, including the Louvre (Inv. OA 10965), the Wallace Collection (Inv. C246-7; C.248-50; C.256), and the Metropolitan Museum of Art (e.g., Inv. 58.75.89a; 58.75.90a, b), reflecting the considerable success of Duplessis's designs.