A pair of Louis XV style gilt-bronze mounted celadon-glazed Chinese porcelain square bottles the porcelain Qing dynasty, Qianlong period (1736-1795), the mounts late 19th century

Sotheby's Monaco, 8th February 1981, lot 280

One bottle with three faint hairline cracks to spout. The other bottle with three similar faint hairline cracks, possibly crazing cracks, to shoulder. The gilt-bronze in good original condition, with very minor cracks, and tarnished throughout, consistently with age. One flower terminal of one vase is slightly loose.
"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 :

G. de Bellaigue, The James A. De Rothschild Collection at Waddesdon Manor, London, 1974, vol. II, pp. 757-59.

Sir F. Watson, “Tradition and Change in Furniture-making in nineteenth-century Paris”, Apollo, Vol. LXXXIII (May 1966), p. 349.

Sir F. Watson, Chinese Porcelains in European Mounts, New York, 1980, n. 25.

At least four other examples of similar celadon-glazed square, or ts’ ung, vases with virtually identical mounts are known: one in the James A. de Rothschild Collection at Waddesdon Manor (cat. 198), one other at Anglesey Abbey, and a pair in the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore (VO. 38).

The elaborate and finely chased mounts on these vases, with their characteristic rounded trellis canopy, were traditionally considered as authentic 18^th century mounts. However, in 1966 Sir Francis Watson noted how the “sophisticated methods of attachment” of the various sections are “quite foreign to eighteenth-century practice”. Moreover, Watson attributed these to the workshop of L-A-A. Beurdeley (1808-1882) and his son A-E-L. Beurdeley (1847-1919), an attribution resting on the similarity between these mounted objects and one vase from the firm’s stock sold Galerie Georges Petit, 6-9 May 1895, lot 16.

Several aspects indicate that this model was not a copy of an 18^th century example but rather an original pastiche, as evident for instance in the incongruously naturalistic rendering of the flowers, typical of Louis XVI mounts, that coexists with the overall “rocaille” appearance of the pieces.

Interestingly, a relatable combination of trellis canopy - a popular motif on pieces from the 1750s - with flower sprouts appears on another piece by Alfred II Beurdeley, the cabinet known as ‘La Music Chinoise’ and dated 1894, and on a mantel clock sold Sotheby’s New York, 30 October 2013, lot 306.