A Fine and Rare Pair of early Louis XV ormolu-mounted Chinese famille rose porcelain covered vases The ormolu circa 1740 stamped with the C-Couronné poinçon, the porcelain Ch'ien Lung circa 1735

the lid composed of two inverted saucers centered by an ormolu finial cast with leaves and berries, the circular body with an ormolu border chased with rockwork and flanked by dragon-shaped handles, one facing front and the other to the back, raised on a molded ormolu foot; the porcelain decorated with reserves of peonies, prunus and other flowers and foliage in rose, blue, yellow and green  on a café-au-lait- ground.

The color of the mounts is slightly less brilliant than in the catalogue illustration. The lower section of the cover of the left vase has a visible hairline crack to both sides but is not broken. With minor surface dirt and some slight rubbing in areas. The mounts are well chased and well gilt but dirty and would benefit from a clean. The mounts with some small firing faults, as visible from the catalogue illustration. The vase on the right with the top broken, which has since been restored and sprayed. There is a hairline crack to the lower section of the cover, which is only visible on the inside. The body has been broken and since restored and sprayed, with some of the polychrome decoration repainted. With slight rubbing to the porcelain and verdigris to the mounts. In otherwise good condition.
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.

The craft of mounting oriental porcelain with metal mounts is rooted in the Middle Ages, it  flourished during the Renaissance and the few examples that have survived give testimony to the taste, finesse and craftsmanship of the period.  During the reign of Louis XIV (1643-1715) considerable quantities of porcelain were mounted in silver, however relatively few examples have survived.  Porcelains were mounted in metal in other parts of  Europe, notably in Holland, German, England and Italy, however it was in Paris that the craft was most notably exercised.  This was largely due to the influence of the marchands merciers who were the principal source of inspiration in interior decoration and design at the time.  Chinese and Japanese vases, cups, bowls and saucers were mercilessly cut and adapted to the mounts which were made for them in order to give these exotic objects a French appearance.  Thus the present pair of vases with lids created from saucers or shallow bowls, and the vase itself almost certainly cut down from a larger vase, were combined to create a luxurious gilded French effect.

It would be difficult to over-state the popularity of oriental porcelains during the second half of Louis XIV's reign.  It is not clear when the transition was made to ormolu mounts,  however it seems to have taken place during the late Régence period with the emergence of the rococo style and the taste for gilding which became more and more prevalent in the French domestic interior.  One can also observe a change in the color palette of the porcelains themselves; from the ubiquitous blue and white of the 17^th century, to the more colorful palette of the late years of Louis XIV's reign and the ensuing Régence, and to the popular celadon and blue monochromes of the Louis XV and Louis XVI periods.

An almost identical pair of vases from the Riahi collection is illustrated, Quelques chefs-d'oeuvre de La Collection Djahanguir Riahi, Paris, 1999, pp.80-81.  The decoration of the Riahi pair is virtually identical incorporating a café-au-lait ground with rose colored peonies and branches of prunus in tones of blue, rose green and yellow.  The lids which are also composed of two porcelain elements are centered by almost identical ormolu leaf and berry finials.  These finials appear on a number of recorded examples of mounted porcelain and must have come from the same source – possibly a source controlled by one of the marchands merciers.  The dragon-form handles are, however, a much rarer element.  One recorded example incorporates Meissen porcelain painted in the oriental taste (illustrated, Wannenes, Les Bronzes Ornementaux et Les Objets Montés de Louis XIV à Napoléon III, Milan, 2004, p.92); it is also fitted with identical ormolu rockwork borders around the neck and with an identical foot, clearly deriving from the same bronzier.  Another form of handle found during this period is equally exotic, consisting of addorsed mermaids as seen on a pair of covered vases formerly in the Keck collection, sold, Sotheby's, New York, December 5-6, 1991, lot 10.  The Keck vases again have identical berried leafy finials.  It is possible that the dragon handles and the mermaid handles mark the transition from the strapwork mounts traditionally found on mounted porcelain of the late Louis XIV and Régence period, to the flamboyant and fanciful mounts of the rococo period.