A pair of French gilt-bronze-mounted Paris biscuit 'vases grec à rosettes' and covers second half 19th century

in the manner of Jean-Claude Duplessis père, each with a foliate finial above a pierced neck and stylised Greek key border, the fluted baluster body hung with laurel swags and with guilloche enclosing floweheads and roses, on a trumpet foot decorated with guilloche and beading on a square base with canted corners

In overall good conserved condition. Colour of porcelain less greyish and more white and attractive than in the catalogue photograph. Some very miniscule chips to the flowers some of which have been restored and some have been replaced but this has been very well executed. Some very minor discolouration to the white biscuit. Attractive detail to casting of the mounts. There are three hairline cracks in the octagonal base of one which are not too noticeable and do not detract from the piece.The cover of one is attached unevenly and would benefit from some minor adjustment.
"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."

Comparative Literature:
Rosalind Saville, The Wallace Collection: Catalogue of Sèvres Porcelain, 1988, Vol. I, pp. 254-259, C272-5.

This pair of vases is based upon a design probably by Jean-Claude Duplessis père (op. 1745/8-74) for a model known variously throughout the second half of the 18th century as `vases à rosettes' or `à rosettes et guirlandes' and later on variously as `feston grec à rosettes'. The plaster model is very similar and has square handles as do the recorded porcelain and biscuit models but lack the rose swags.The trelliswork enclosing paterae is reminiscent of a vase in Jacques Stella's Livre de Vases engraved by Françoise Bouzonnet Stella in 1667. There were two known shapes of this model and size and there is a pair in blue and gilt porcelain, in the Wallace Collection, illustrated by Saville, op. cit., p. 257 and 258, the Royal Collection and Pavlovsk, St. Petersburg and the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Documented garnitures of various shapes are recorded and a garniture was delivered comprising five vases to Versailles in December 1764.

Various 19th century models were reintroduced and recorded in 1852 and 1885.