This magnificent vase corresponds closely to a drawing (fig.1) that forms part of a large portfolio of drawings of gilt-bronze mounted porcelain and gilt-bronze mounted furniture for Albert, Duke of Saxe-Teschen, and his consort Maria-Christina, a sister of Marie-Antoinette, who were joint governors of the Low Countries from 1780 to 1792 (C. Parker et al., The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, May, 1960, p. 281 and F.J.B. Watson, The Wrightsman Collection, New York, 1966, vol. I, p. 284).

Such drawings were most likely part of a sales campaign of 18th century marchands-merçiers such as Simon-Philippe Poirier and Dominique Daguerre who sent watercolour drawings of their wares to customers who lived too far away to visit their shop. A portion of these drawings at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, could thus represent a pictorial inventory of the furnishings of the Sachsen-Teschen palace at Laeken. The combination of Chinese celadon porcelain with gilt-bronze mounts seemed to be at its most popular in the middle years of the 18th century. The acquisition of fine oriental ceramics with gilt-bronze mounts was an integral component of the most important collections of the 18th century in Paris and indeed Lazare Duvaux’s day book records numerous purchases of this porcelain by the leading collectors of the day. For example, the Marquis de Voyer d’Argenson “achetait surtout chez Duvaux de la porcelaine Céladon garnie de pieds et de montures de bronze doré. Plus souvent, possesseur de pièces de choix, il chargeait Duvaux de les monter. Celui-ci le nuit en rapport avec le célèbre modeleur Duplessis…” (Livre-Journal de Lazare Duvaux, 2 vols. Ed. L. Courajod, Paris 1873, p.XXXIII – “bought primarily from Duvaux, celadon porcelain mounted with gilt-bronze mounts. Often, he owned the porcelain and ask Duvaux to put mounts on them. The latter would then be in touch with the famous sculptor Duplessis”). D’Argenson’s most ambitious purchase of celadon is recorded in September of 1750 (no.601): "Deux gros vases de porcelain doré d’ormolu 3000l." The only other purchase of celadon by a contemporary collector of similar value is made by Gaignat in 1754: "Deux urnes de porcelain Céladon, courvertes, montées en bronze doré d’or moulu par Duplessis, 2920l." Gaignat’s celebrated collection was sold after his death in 1768 and the catalogue, compiled by Poirier, contained twelve items of mounted celadon, lots 84-95. Several examples of this type of mounted vase are recorded and feature approximately the same dimensions:
-a pair of vases from the collection of Lord Burnham, Hall Barn, Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, sold Christie’s, 29 September 1969, lot 96; offered again Sotheby’s London, 15 June 1990, lot 22, and subsequently Sotheby’s, 11 June 1993, lot 8;
-a vase (original mounts, vase replaced) was formerly in the collection of Henriette Bouvier (illustrated in Collection Henriette Bouvier léguée au Musée Carnavalet, 1968, no.89 ), now given to the Musée Carnavelet.
-a second vase was lent by Mme Bouvier to the Musée des Arts Décoratifs Exhibition “L’influence colonial dans le décor de la vie française“ (1944), possibly the one later sold at Christie’s, London, 3 December 1981, lot 33;
-a vase formerly in the Jaime Ortiz-Patino collection, sold Sotheby’s New York, 20 May 1992, lot 9, subsequently in the Karl Lagerfeld collection sold at Christie’s Paris, 29 April 2000, lot 350.

Jean-Claude Chambellan Duplessis (1699- 1774)

Apart from their olive-green feldspathic glaze and the striking and eye-catching floral decorations, the vase is further enhanced and offset by gilt-bronze mounts of exemplary quality. The exceptional aesthetic unity of the present porcelain and its mounts suggests that the bronzes were designed specifically for this vase and as such, can be attributed to Jean-Claude Chambellan Duplessis. The multi-talented Duplessis was already an important sculptor, designer, goldsmith, and bronze worker in Italy, before he moved to Paris in about 1740. In France, he continued working as a goldsmith and gilt-bronze founder and was appointed orfèvre du roi in 1758. From about 1748, Duplessis expanded his range of activities and served as artistic director of the Vincennes porcelain manufactory and then at Sèvres from 1748 to his death in 1774. He also supervised the work of the throwers and moulders, advised on ground colours, and supplied gilt bronze stands and mounts for the porcelain products. He created the wax models for gilt-bronze mounts for furniture and especially for porcelain objects, in which capacity he appears repeatedly in the daybook of the marchand-merçier Lazare Duvaux (as seen in the aforementioned quotation directly connecting Duplessis to gilt-bronze mounts on celadon vases). Amongst his clients, Duvaux collaborated most closely with work for the Comte d’Argenson and the Duc de Chaulnes. Bronzes by him documented in the 18th century are rare: among the best known examples are the mounts for the Bureau du Roi Louis XV (the corner mounts depicting lions) and a mounted Vincennes vase of flowers commissioned in 1749 by the Dauphine Maria-Josepha (illustrated in Pierre Verlet, Les bronzes dorés français du XVIIIe siècle, 1987, p.27, fig. 14). One of the few examples of work in gilt bronze that can be also securely attributed to him is an extraordinary pair of braziers, commissioned as a diplomatic gift to the Turkish Ambassador by Machault d’Arnouville (one of which is now in the Topkapi Museum, Instanbul – illustrated in Pierre Verlet, Les bronzes dorés français du XVIIIe siècle, 1987, p.23, fig 9). A garniture with similar mounts also attributed to Duplessis was sold at Sotheby’s, Paris, 2 Octobre 2008, lot 37.

The Provenance

Favourite child of the Empress Marie-Thérèse of Austria, Archduchess Marie-Christine (1742-1798), Marie-Antoinette’s sister, was the only one of the empress’s 16 children who was allowed to choose her spouse. In 1766 she married Albert of Saxony (1738-1822) youngest son of Frederick-Auguste II, elector of Saxony and king of Poland. By bestowing the Teschen title on the prince, who was only sixth in line to his father’s throne, the empress radically augmented his fortune and prospects. Together they lived in the palace of Laeken in Brussels, which was built for the SachenTeschens, between 1785 and 1792, during their tenure as governors of the Netherlands. The couple is known to have acquired French furniture and decorative arts.

Unfortunately, not much is known on the life and career of Charles Stein from whom Baron Gustave de Rothschild (1829-1911) possibly bought the vase. A French banker, Baron de Rothschild was the second son of Baron James de Rothschild and Betty von Rothschild. Married to Cécile Anspach from 1859, he was Consul General of Austria-Hungary and a famous collector. His collections were spread among his many residences and châteaux such as the Hôtel de Marigny which he acquired in 1879 and had refurbished until 1883.

Lady Baillie (1899-1974), Olive Cecilia Paget, the celebrated Anglo-American collector and society hostess could have installed this vase either in the lavish interiors of her London townhouse in Lowndes Place or at Leeds Castle, Kent, which she acquired in 1926. In the 1930s, Leeds Castle was one of the great society houses of England, often hosting lavish parties and entertaining members of the British Royal family as well as figures from the glamorous world of entertainment such as Douglas Fairbanks, Errol Flynn and James Stewart. Following her death in 1974, many of her contents were sold at Sotheby’s, and Leeds Castle was left to the nation in perpetuity.