A pair of Louis XV gilt bronze mounted celadon glazed porcelain vases the porcelain Qing dynasty, early 18th century, the mounts attributed to Jean- Claude Duplessis, circa 1745-1750

the faceted flattened hexagonal body rising from a short spreading foot rising to a tall flaring neck with stylised dragon handles, the finely chased gilt-bronze mounts to the neck with scroll and foliate ornament, the pierced  conforming mounts to the base with flowers and berries, each vase with a paper label in manuscript, 47/2  

The present pair of vases was originally purchased almost certainly by Edward, Viscount Lascelles (1764-1814) for either Harewood House, Yorkshire  or Harewood House, London (fig.1), and thence by family descent until sold by The Right Honourable The Earl of Harewood, Christie`s London, Highly Important Sèvres Porcelain, Chinese Porcelain with French Ormolu mounts and Fine English Furniture, July 1st 1965, lot 47.

Private Collection and then passing by family descent to the present vendor.

 

Lunsingh Scheuleer, Chinesisches und japanisches Porzellan in europãischen Fassungen, Braunschweig, 1980, p. 318 & 330.

Comparative Literature:

Gillian Wilson, Mounted Oriental Porcelain in the J. Paul Getty Museum, 1999, pp. 76- 79. 

Sir Francis Watson, Mounted Oriental Porcelain,1986, p.100

In overall very good original condition. Excellent Provenance. The gilt-bronze is slightly less greenish and more golden and the celadon is less blueish and more green, natural and attractive than in the catalogue photograph. The gilt-bronze: Superb quality to the casting and chasing of the mounts. The celadon: Both vases are in good condition, one has three firing cracks to the interior base (1cm, 1.5cm and 1.5cm long). There is an iron brown line to the lower part of one side (5mm). The other vase has a small circular raised area (5mm) that has discoloured to white and there is an area of yellowish dirt below the rim to the exterior. There is pitting to the glaze to both and various surface scratches . There is a couple of minor splits to the underside of the gilt bronze mounts to the base of one.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The Collections of the Earls of Harewood

 

The present pair of exquisitely mounted vases formed  part of the magnificent collection of gilt-bronze mounted Chinese porcelain originally collected by either Edward Lascelles, 1^st Earl of  Harewood (1739- 1830) or more likely by his son and heir Edward, Viscount Lascelles, most probably for Harewood House, Hanover Square, London and subsequently moved to Harewood House, Yorkshire.  

 

The Lascelles family originated in Yorkshire. In the late 17^th and early 18^th century they acquired significant sugar plantations in Barbados, the profits of which enabled Edwin Lascelles, 1^st and last Baron of Harewood (d. 1795) to build the magnificent country house named Harewood House, in Yorkshire. Designed by Robert Adam and with furniture by Thomas Chippendale, which was to be one of his greatest commissions, the house was then and indeed is now still considered to be one of the greatest houses and collections of England. The estate passed from Edwin Lascelles on his death,  to his cousin Edward, who in 1812 became 1^st Earl of Harewood.  His son and heir was Edward, Viscount Lascelles.

 

In 1795 the Lascelles family also acquired as a town house, Harewood House, London which was on the north corner of Hanover Square, London. Originally named Roxburghe House and designed by Robert Adam, the family engaged the architect Samuel Page to alter it to their taste. It remained occupied by the family until 1895 and was demolished in 1908.

 

Viscount Lascelles was known as a great art connoisseur and collector (fig.2). Nicknamed 'Beau’ because of his physical resemblance to the Prince Regent, he patronised the celebrated London dealer Robert Fogg who was based in both Regent Street and Golden Square.  Fogg specialised in supplying furniture and ceramics and in fact rather charmingly described himself as a `Chinaman’. He supplied distinguished collectors which included the Prince Regent and also William Beckford and accounts show that he supplied both Viscount Lascelles and the Earl of Harewood with Chinese porcelain. He supplied Viscount Lascelles in 1807 with ` a pair of sea green China jars’ for £600 (Mary Mauchline, Harewood House, London, 1974, p.117). Accounts for 1807 show that  1^ST Earl spent £1400 with Fogg. As clearly Fogg dealt with ceramic pieces of the quality of the present lot, it would seem likely that he also supplied the present vases.

 

Many of the French mounted porcelain pieces in the Harewood House collection were probably originally owned by distinguished French aristocratic patrons who had fallen to the guillotine and whose possessions subsequently appeared in the Paris salerooms in the revolutionary sales of the late 18^th century. England was of course at war with France and it was difficult for collectors or agents to travel to France.  However the Peace of Amiens in 1802 temporarily enabled English collectors to visit Paris and it is thought that this was when the present vases were acquired and brought to England.

 

 The Lascelles family seem to have had a particular passion for porcelain of this type as an inventory of 1838 of Harewood House London shows that there were ninety seven pieces of Chinese porcelain described as `Green’ or `Mandarin’ and  fifteen pieces of ormolu-mounted Chinese porcelain. The porcelain was eventually transferred to Harewood House Yorkshire where it remained until selected pieces were sold in 1965 by 7^th Earl of Harewood (d.2011). The collecting tradition and connoisseurship of the family continued into 20th century.The 6th Earl of Harewood who was the father of 7th Earl, (d.1947) married Her Royal Highness, The Princess Royal, Princess Mary, only daughter of H.M. King George V and Queen Mary. They were to carry out much restoration, refurbishment and re-organistion of the house and its collection which included re-hanging pictures, re-upholstering the Chippendale furniture and re-arranging it in the manner in which it was intended to be displayed. The 7th Earl continued this work which included the restoration of the magnificent gallery to its original state, where much of the remaining Chinese gilt-bronze mounted porcelain still remains, (see fig.3). Taxation during the sucession of the 7th Earl necessitated sales of works of art and land, however such was the scale of the collection that much still remains to make it one of the most exceptional collections in the country.

 

The Porcelain

 

According to Kristal Smertek in Rococo Exotic French mounted porcelain and the Allure of the East, New York, 2007, quotes  Jean Baptiste de Boyer, Marquis d`Argens in his Chinese Letters between 1739 to 1740 `The French do not have any aversion for foreign culture, which they adopt easily, but the thing is they like to add or remove things to it, that`s what we call `le gout francais’. This comment perfectly encapsulates the history of the fashion for mounted porcelain in France. The enthusiasm for this type of  of exotic porcelain commenced with the various `Compagnie des Indes’ which from the 17^th century onwards, traded with the Orient in all manner of luxurious Oriental ware which so inspired the Parisian marchands-merciers who were driven to supply their illustrious clientele with the latest fashion and novelties such as gilt-bronze mounted objects. As soon as the Oriental ware arrived in Europe, the rarest pieces were cut, carved or even associated, before being applied with gilt-bronze mounts.

 

The present vases are Celadon porcelain, which is also called greenware has an olive green feldspathic glaze obtained through the high firing  ( minimum 1,200c) of iron oxides which are applied directly onto the earthenware body. Chinese celadon is usually classified in two types; Northern and Southern. Northern celadon was mainly made during the Song dynasty but not after that when its capital moved South in 1127 and does not seem to have been exported. Southern celadon was made through the Song dynasty and later. This type of celadon was widely exported and thus is mainly found in European gilt-bronze mounted objects such as the present vases. The large size of the present vases and rather unusual handles are characteristic of the type of Chinese ceramics that were made for the European market. The glaze relates to the celebrated Longquan wares of the Song dynasty and the form of the present vases is reminiscent of contemporary Imperial vessels.

The Mounts

The gilt-bronze mounts on the present vases are heavily scrolled and foliated with berries that scroll upwards on the base. They have been attributed to Jean-Claude Chambellan Duplessis (d. 1773) on stylistic grounds and also on the basis of their exceptional quality. The bronzes are extremely finely cast and clearly specifically cast for the present vases as they follow the form of the vase. They are also extremely well executed in terms of burnishing with polished and matt areas of chasing which are conceived to contrast and highlight the detail.  Duplessis, born in Turin, was the son of the sculptor, bronzier and artistic director of the Vincennes-Sèvres Manufactory. From 1752, he assisted his father in creating models and is best known for his work as a designer and modeller for the Sèvres factory. On 12^th June 1765 he became maître fondeur en terre et sable having mastered the disciplines of drawing and sculpture. In 1777 he was described in the Almanach des Artistes as a `bon dessinateur, travaille d`après ses dessins`. He became the appointed bronzier to the Sèvres factory and was replaced after his death by Pierre-Philippe Thomire. Although he seems to have also worked extensively for the marchands-merciers as a sculptor of decorative bronzes, there is very little documented work by him. He is however known to have made the mounts for the bureau du Roi Louis XV at Versailles and also those for a Sèvres vase given by the Dauphine, Marie-Josephe de Saxe to her father Augustus III, King of Saxony, in 1749.  

 

Gilt-bronze mounted porcelain was at the pinnacle of fashion in France during 1750s being supplied by such marchands-merciers as Lazare Duvaux. His day book records numerous purchases of this porcelain by the leading collectors of the day. The Marquis de Voyer d`Argenson ( Livre-Journal de Lazare Duvaux 2 vols. Ed. L. Courajod, Paris 1873, p. XXXIII) achetait surtout chez Duvaux de la porcelain Céladon garnie de pieds et et de montures de bronze doré. Plus souvent, possesseur de pieces de choix, il chargeait Duvaux de les monter. Celui-ci le nuit en rapport avec le celebre modeleur Duplessis… D`Argenson`s most ambitious purchase of celadon is recorded in September of 1750, ( no. 601): Deux gros vases de porcelain doré d`or moulu 3000l. The only other purchase of celadon by a contemporary collector of a similar value is made by Gaignat de Gagny who bought in 1754: Deux urnes de porcelain Céladon, couvertes, montées en bronze d`ormolu par Duplessis, 2920l. Other references include in 1754 a reference to the Marquise de  Pompadour: `La garniture en bronze d`oré d`or moulu d`un vase en hauteur de porcelain celadon a tete de belier, nouveau modèle du Duplessis 320l; These sums represented very considerable sums and indicate the esteem in which such items were held.

 

For comparison a single vase of identical form to the present pair of vases is in the collection of the J. Paul Getty Museum and is illustrated in Gillian Wilson, Mounted oriental Porcelain in the J. Paul Getty Museum, 1999, p.76, figs. 15A-15C. This example had a provenance of the Trustees of the Swinton Settled Estates, sold Christie`s London, 4th December 1975, lot 46. Another related pair of vases to the present pair is in the Musée Nissim de Camondo, Paris, (accession number 222). Another example of French gilt-bronze mounted Chinese porcelain, the mounts attributed to Duplessis can be seen in a vase and cover in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Forsyth Wickes Collection, ( 65.2262 a-b), illustrated in Sir Francis Watson, op. cit., pp.26-7. See also a large Louis XV period celadon vase with gilt-bronze mounts attributed to Duplessis, sold Sotheby`s Paris 23rd June 2004, lot 58. An exceptional garniture of three gilt-bronze mounted Chinese blue porcelain vases, the porcelain Kangxi (1662-1722), the mounts Louis XV, circa 1755-60, attributed to Jean-Claude Duplessis, lot 37, sold Sotheby`s Paris, the Collection of Leon Levy, 2nd October 2008, lot 37,  inc. premium 1,151,150 Euros. A Loius XV ormolu-mounted Chinese Clair-de-lune porcelain vase, the mounts also attributed to Duplessis, and with same provenance as the present lot was sold Christie`s London, Collecting in the Royal Tradition, 5th December 2012, lot 29, sold incl. premium £1,161, 250.