A RARE AND IMPORTANT DU PAQUIER TULIP VASE CIRCA 1725

in the manner of Ignaz Preissler, painted in black and iron-red, heightened in gilding, on one side of the ovoid body with a fashionably dressed lady seated holding a lute beside two cherubs supporting a basket of fruit and on the other with a lady seated caressing a child beside a vase of flowers on a circular table above a foliate scrollwork border around the stepped rectangular base, set across the top with five flared ribbed spouts painted with further scrollwork and affixed on either side with a camel's head handle.

There is some very minor 'grittiness' around the rim edges of the spouts. One spout at one end has a flat 1/4-in. rim chip issuing a fine 1/2-in haircrack. The spout at the other end has a flat 1/4-in. chip, mostly to the interior of the rim and visible from the exterior for 1/8 in. along the rim edge above the handle. The side of the foot of the base has an old repaired (glued) 3/4 x1/2-in. flat chip. There is some very minor occasional wear to the iron-red enamel and the gilding.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Only one other vase of this model appears to be recorded, an example painted with the monogram and arms of Bernard Georg Feiherr von Mikosch and inscribed  "Vienne 12 Julii 1721", which is presently in the collection of the British Museum and illustrated by Meredith Chilton in "Du Paquier and the Challenges of Chronology", Fired by Passion, Vienna Baroque Porcelain of Claudius Innocentius Du Paquier, Meredith Chilton and Claudia Lehner-Jobst, ed., p. 270, no. 3:42, and by Ghenete Zelleke, "Du Paquier's Diversity of Sources", ibid., p 353, no. 4:72, where the author discusses the origins of the vase's design in similar Dutch Delft models of the early 18th century.

Ignaz Preissler (1676-1741) was one of a number of Breslau Hausmaler, active during the early 18th century, decorating porcelain of both the Meissen and Du Paquier manufactories. The attribution of pieces decorated by him is addressed and fully discussed by Sebastian Kuhn, "The Hausmaler", ibid., pp. 522-528, where the author illustrates, on pp. 523-24, several pieces decorated with Schwarzlot scrollwork similar to that of the present example and generally thought to be characteristic of Preissler's decoration. A rare Du Paquier teapot and cover, painted in Schwarzlot with Chinoiserie figures and similar foliate scrollwork was sold by Sotheby's, London, June 2, 2005, lot 37.