Style Louis-Philippe / Ref.13741

SÈVRES Manufacture, Louis-Philippe Period Vase Adorned with a Lush Floral Decoration, 1846

This porcelain vase, featuring rich floral ornamentation, was crafted at the Sèvres Manufacture in 1846.

The Sèvres Manufacture was founded in Vincennes in 1740. It quickly gained the favor of Madame de Pompadour, King Louis XV’s mistress, and received royal privilege starting in 1745. In 1756, the manufacture was relocated to Sèvres, and in 1759, Louis XV became its main investor, placing it under the control of the Crown. The discovery of kaolin by two of its researchers in 1768 allowed the royal establishment to produce true porcelain (known as hard-paste porcelain). Between 1800 and 1847, the manufacture was directed by the scientist Alexandre Brongniart, who ensured its remarkable development. The manufacture continued to evolve up to the present day, where it remains a unique center of creation.

This vase was made during the reign of King of the French Louis-Philippe (1830-1848). Its overall shape reflects the style in vogue at the time. Set on a flared foot, the body of the vase expands harmoniously towards the neck, first narrowing and then flaring out. The handles are attached to the widest part of the body. Two finely executed pinecones appear to be attached to them by a ribbon, while a large palmette decorates the base of each handle, which, after an elegant curve, connects to the neck of the vase with a scroll adorned with two antique profiles, inspired by Roman cameos.

The decoration, highly precise and detailed, consists of multiple intertwined garlands of foliage and flowers. The base is adorned with a frieze of ivy leaves and their fruits; the body features garlands of roses on one side, asters on the other, along with more discreet flowers on both sides such as bindweed, horned violets, or pink evening primrose flowers; behind the garlands, other particularly delicate flowers emerge. Under the handles, where a crown of forget-me-nots encircles a small bouquet of roses, the neck is decorated with branches of wild rose. The whole piece, extremely decorative, is enhanced with gold detailing that transitions between the different parts of the vase and highlights the modeling of the handles.

The piece bears two marks stamped by the manufacture under the reign of Louis-Philippe on the base: within a double circle, an intertwined L and P under a crown, framed by the inscriptions: “SÈVRES” on one side and “1846” on the other.