A pair of gilt-bronze-mounted Chinese ‘Mirror Black’ porcelain vases, the porcelain Kangxi (1662-1722), the mounts Louis XVI, circa 1785, possibly by Pierre Gouthière, possibly after a design by François-Joseph Bélanger or Jean-Demothène Dugourc

Etude Picard, Paris, 24 June 1993, lot 82;

Etude Piasa, Paris, 15 December 2004, lot 42;

Perrin gallery, Paris.

____________________________________________

Etude Picard, Paris, 24 juin 1993, lot 82;

Etude Piasa, Paris, 15 décembre 2004, lot 42;

Galerie Perrin, Paris.

This elegant and unusual pair of baluster vases are notable not only for their exceptionally rare ‘mirror black’ Chinese Kangxi porcelain, but also their refined gilded and chased gilt-bronze mounts, dating to around 1785. The quality and sophisticated design of the gilt-bronze mounts and similarities with his other mounted objects suggest an attribution to one of the most celebrated bronziers of the 18th century, Pierre Gouthière (1732-1813).

There is a related pair of vases, in the ‘mirror black’ technique, the porcelain, Kangxi (circa 1662-1722), with related Louis XVI handle mounts, in the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, illustrated by C. Bremer-David, op. cit., p. 157, fig. 264 (Accession no. 92.DI.19.1. and 92.DI.19.2). One has on the underside a torn paper label inscribed ‘HELIOT Fils ell”, the other is stamped EM on the base mount. Although the gilding is rubbed on the porcelain, the original pattern can still be detected on the Getty pair.

The rare ‘mirror black ‘ porcelain, can also be found on an extremely large, although Louis XV, gilt-bronze-mounted black and gold pot pourri vase and cover, the porcelain Qianlong (1736-1795), formely owned by Ismael Pasha, the ex-Khedive of Egypt, sold from The Dimitri Mavromatis Collection, Important French Furniture and Sèvres Porcelain from the Chester Square Residence, Sotheby’s, London, 8th July 2008, Sotheby’s, London, lot 64 (£2,169,250).

The Chinese Famille Noire Porcelain

This luminous deep black glaze is sometimes referred to as`mirror black' on this type of porcelain. It was considered to be extremely rare and desirable in the early 18<sup>th</sup> century in France and the Jesuit missionary Père François-Xavier d'Entrecolles (1644-1741) described its manufacture at Jingdezhen in a letter of 1st September 1712. He stated that the black glaze, which he compared to oil, was made up of iron oxide and cobalt manganese, elements normally used in limited quantity for brown and blue glazes respectively. Vessels were repeatedly dipped and high fired in this glaze until their surface was saturated with colour and appeared black. This process,`yielded their intensely hard surface which when polished gained a lustrous metallic sheen, hence the name mirror black'. Furthermore, this type of porcelain possibly inspired the Louis XVI Sèvres black-ground porcelain.  

The gilt-bronze mounts

The finely chased and gilded mounts on this pair of vases indicate a bronzier of exceptional skill and Pierre Gouthiére is the most obvious candidate and their design is close to some designs by François-Joseph Bélanger (1744-1818), with whom he often collaborated. Gouthière was known to have drawn inspiration from ornamental designers disseminated through engravings.

There is a design by l’Huilier in his Livre d’ornaments à l’usage des artistes engraved by Doublet, pl. 13, in the Bibliothèque des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, reproduced by Vignon et al, op. cit., p. 90, fig. 44, with a stiff bold acanthus leaf and patera which may well have inspired Gouthière for the mounts on these vases.

However, one should also consider the influence of Jean-Demothène Dugourc,(1749-1825), the brother-in-law of Bélanger. There is a design illustrated by Vignon et al, op. cit., p. 82, fig. 36, by Dugourc, ‘Projet for a Console Table, Candelabra, Candlesticks, and Vase (Musée des Arts Décoratifs (CD 2703), which has a vase on related pilaster supports terminating in hoof feet to the side mounts on the offered pair of vases.

The attribution of the mounts to Gouthiére for these vases can be made on the basis of similarities with mounts on vases either by or attributed to him. There is an incense burner commissioned by the duc d’Aumont with the gilt-bronzes by Gouthière, after a design by François-Joseph Bélanger, c. 1770-1775, in red jasper and gilt-bronze, now in the Wallace Collection, London, see D. Alcouffe, et al., op. cit., p.197(F292). It is on pilaster supports terminating in hoof feet conceived in a similar vein to those on the offered pair, with swags of vine leaves and grapes, the design of which is reproduced op. cit., p. 199, fig. 102.

The entwined laurel branches on the side mounts of these vases, can be also be seen on a pair of appliques attributed to Gouthière, in the Louvre Museum, Paris, see D. Alcouffe et al, op. cit., p. 163, no 82. Also see a pair of two branch appliques from the collection of the Duchesse de Mazarin, by Gouthière, circa 1781, see D. Alcouffe, et al., op. cit. no. 124.