Londonderry Vase
Medium
Hard-paste porcelain, polychrome enamels, gilding, and gilt bronze mounts
Dimensions
137.2 × 83.2 cm (54 × 32 3/4 in.)
Classification
vase
Department
Applied Arts of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
68769
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
The design for this monumental vase was begun around 1810 during the reign of Napoleon I, but it was not completed and released from the Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory until 1814, after the emperor’s defeat and the restoration of the Bourbon monarchy. Recognizing the diplomatic potential of such a magnificent vase, King Louis XVIII presented it to the British foreign secretary, Viscount Castlereagh, 2nd Marquess of Londonderry. The gift was likely a strategic attempt by the French to gain British ...
About the Artist
Manufacture nationale de Sèvres · 1763–1800
The Manufacture nationale de Sèvres, a premier French porcelain factory, flourished from 1763 to 1800 as the royal powerhouse of European ceramics, producing opulent soft- and hard-paste porcelain under the patronage of Louis XV and XVI. Originally founded in Vincennes in 1740 to rival Meissen and Chantilly, it relocated to Sèvres in 1756 and was fully acquired by the Crown in 1759, becoming the M...