A pair of Louis XV style gilt-bronze mounted blue porcelain vases 19th century, the porcelain Chinese, the mounts in the manner of Jean-Claude Duplessis (1699 - 1774)

the mounts stamped AB to underside, restorations to porcelain

Overall in good conserved condition. The gilt-bronze mounts have a rich gilt colour. It is not possible to inspect the porcelain underneath the mounts. Both vases with two drilled holes mounted with gilt-bronze, and a drilled base. One vase has a slight lean to the body. The other with restored rim and neck and extensively over-sprayed. Both are in otherwise good condition. The blue porcelain is a very deep and fine colour.
"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."

This pair of vases, of an impressively large scale, bears witness to the 19th century fascination with France's golden age of mounted objects, which spanned over half a century from about 1720 to 1780.  In the present lot, the gilt-bronze mounts - clearly after designs by the influential bronzier and ceramics modeller Jean-Claude Duplessis (1699-1774) - are happily combined with Chinese monochrome porcelain, which would also have been at the peak of fashion in the mid-18th century, not least because of the preciousness resulting from its double firing.

Duplessis's designs are distinguished by heavy, symmetrical scrolls of stylised acanthus leaves that in spite of their extravagance seem already to be moving away from the pure rocaille, opening the doors to the Transitional goût grec of the early 1760s. From 1745 to his death, Duplessis was director of the Vincennes and then Sèvres porcelain factories, but he is known to have created a number of gilt-bronze mounts, as attested by the Livre Journal of the marchand-mercier Lazare Duvaux.