A CHINESE PARTLY ENAMELLED STONEWARE COVERED VASE, 18TH CENTURY, WITH FRENCH RÉGENCE ORMOLU GILT-BRONZE MOUNTS, CIRCA 1725 |

the stoneware enamelled with bird and cherry blossoms, with incised Chinese caracters on the reverse; rich gilt-bronze ornaments with sphinge-shaped handles and chiselled rims

Traditionally used for its preservation properties, this rare stoneware vase was employed to hold tea leaf aromas, prior to being fitted with a gilt-bronze mounting. The manufacturing of the vase in two elements joined horizontally two by two is characteristic of "tea canisters". The inscriptions on the back of the vase, incised before firing, also refer to the art of processing and appreciating tea.
The gilt-bronze mounts belong to the early 18th century repertoire and the Régence. The handles shaped as winged women or mermaids were found mounted onto vases of diverse porcelain varieties, like those kept at the Louvre (inv. OA 5492).