Pedestal vase and bulb pot (piédestal en gaine) (one of a pair)
Medium
Soft-paste porcelain
Dimensions
Height: 6 in. (15.2 cm); Height (with flowers): 10 in. (25.4 cm)
Classification
Ceramics-Porcelain
Culture
French, Sèvres
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Samuel H. Kress Foundation, 1958
Accession Number
58.75.92a, b
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite pedestal vase and bulb pot, in 1760 by the renowned Sèvres Manuf—one of France's premier royal porcelain workshops—exemplifies the opulent decorative arts of the Louis XV era. Produced under royal patronage near Versailles Sèvres pieces like this were symbols of luxury, often destined for aristocratic interiors. As one of a pair, would have been displayed symmetrically, holding fresh flowers or bulbs to enhance its height from 6 inches to a graceful 10 inches, evoking the refined elegance of 18th-century French salons. Made from soft-paste porcelain, a Sèvres specialty before t...
About the Artist
Sèvres Manufactory|Master of the Luminous Leaves · 1740–present
The Sèvres Manufactory, one of Europe's premier porcelain producers, was established in 1740 as the Manufacture de Vincennes under the patronage of Queen Marie Leszczyńska, who sought to rival Meissen and Chantilly porcelains with French soft-paste innovations. Initially a private venture, it relocated to Sèvres in 1756 in a purpose-built facility designed by architect Laurent Lindet near Madame d...