Vase

This vase is one of a pair, with the other bearing the inventory number 400-0027. The lid, neck, body and foot of the vase are porcelain, and are connected to each other with gilt bronze elements. Its lid, neck and foot are adorned with dark blue and gilded foliate decorations. The gilt bronze finial on the lid of the vase is in the shape of an upside down acorn. Its gilt bronze plinth is decorated with horn-shaped cornucopia motifs symbolising abundance and prosperity, as well as flower reliefs.

The mark located inside the lid of the vase displays two interwoven letters ‘L’ with the inscription ‘Sèvres’ underneath. The letter ‘O’ located in the centre of the symbol indicates the year of its manufacture as being 1767. The composition surrounding the body of the vase is signed ‘Claire Maglin-Rochette’. Maglin Rochette was the daughter and student of A. Maglin, an artist who worked at the Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory towards the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. The discrepancy between the date indicated by the porcelain mark, and the period in which Maglin Rochette lived, suggests that the vase may have been decorated much later than its initial manufacture.

The vase’s main body features a woman playing a small guitar, surrounded by dancing putti figures playing woodwind instruments. The term putti (plural for putto) is the name given to mythological figures depicted in art as chubby boys, usually nude and sometimes winged. To the left of this group are poppies, and to the right are white flowers. Flying putti figures complete the overall composition, whose colour palette mostly consists of pastel pinks, blues and greens. As many of the putti are depicted playing musical instruments, the vase can be said to be on the theme of music. These figures, embodying the playful and romantic spirit of the Rococo style which originated in the 18th century, was a preferred theme for porcelain painters throughout the 19th century.