19th Century Louis Philippe Gilded Porcelain Vases from Vieux, Paris, France, Set of 2

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An antique pair of two-handled vases in white and gold porcelain, made in France around the mid-19th century in the … Read more An antique pair of two-handled vases in white and gold porcelain, made in France around the mid-19th century in the full neo-Rococo style of the Louis-Philippe era, the famous production known as "Vieux Paris." The shape is a continuous interplay of curves and counter-curves: the baluster-shaped body, swollen and sinuous, opens at the top into a wavy, openwork mouth, adorned with scrolls and a corolla of flowers modeled in relief, while at the sides two curlicue-shaped handles curve outward like acanthus leaves. The vase rests on an equally elaborate pedestal, supported by four scroll-shaped feet and enlivened by shells, rocailles, and cartouches in relief. On either side of the body, within large folder-shaped reserves, are lavish bouquets of flowers hand-painted entirely in gold on a white ground, each unique, with corollas, leaves, and slender racemes drawn with great finesse. The same gold highlights every relief, every scroll, and every edge, alternating solid fields with minute decorations of dots and droplets, in an elegant contrast with the luminous white of the porcelain. The attribution to mid-19th-century Parisian production is based on several factors: the warm white hard porcelain, the neo-Rococo style characteristic of the period, the gold decoration with flowers within reserves, and above all the construction method. Each vase is composed of two distinct parts, the body and the pedestal, joined internally by a bolt and nut, a typical assembly technique of "Vieux Paris" porcelain. The original nuts, heavily oxidized, confirm the pair's antiquity. The vases are unsigned, like much of the production from Parisian workshops of the period, and fit into the style made famous by manufacturers such as Jacob Petit. The pair is in excellent overall condition, with slight wear to the gilding on some reliefs and the edges, a few small marks under the base, and natural rust on the bolts. See less