French Empire Ormolu-Mounted Cut-Crystal Baccarat Style Vase, 19th Century

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Description

An elegant small-scale French Empire potpourri vase, finely mounted in fire-gilded bronze (ormolu) and richly cut crystal. The vessel is … Read more An elegant small-scale French Empire potpourri vase, finely mounted in fire-gilded bronze (ormolu) and richly cut crystal. The vessel is arranged in two stages: above, a cup-shaped crystal bowl with sharp diamond (hobnail) cutting surmounted by a broad ormolu gallery, the rim pierced with radiating slots to diffuse fragrance—an unmistakable feature of period potpourri. The bowl rises on a knopped waisted collar with delicate beaded edging and sits over a drum-form crystal column, also diamond-cut throughout, which is framed by an engine-turned laurel band and a water-leaf cast socle. The whole is raised on a square gilt-bronze plinth with a soft, original mercury-gilt glow.

The craftsmanship is consistent with Parisian work of the Empire/Restauration period (early–mid-19th century): crisp ornamental vocabulary, fine engine-turning to the collars, and the clean articulation of leaves to the foot. The crystal components are bright and well polished, catching the light with the lively scintillation associated with quality French cutting. The proportions are particularly refined—the slender, urn-like upper bowl visually counterbalanced by the cylindrical crystal standard—so the piece reads as a miniature garniture vase while retaining the practical function of a potpourri.

Dimensions: 11 in. high; 4.875 in. diameter at rim; base 3.75 in. square. See less