Vase for a Garniture Set
Unknown Artist
1736–1770
Medium
Chinese hard-paste porcelain, gilt bronze, enameled metal
Dimensions
34.4 × 22 × 15.2 cm
Classification
Furniture and woodwork
Department
Decorative Art and Design
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of Horace Wood Brock
Accession Number
2020.421.2
About this artwork
The fascination with Chinese porcelain among aristocratic circles increased during the reign of Louis XV. In reaction to the perceived excesses of elaborate naturalistic ornament of the 1750s, mount makers increasingly turned to neoclassical designs, known as Goût Grec (Greek taste) in the 1760s and 1770s. These beautifully chased gilt-bronze mounts feature classical Greco-Roman motifs such as lion masks, acanthus and laurel leaves, and pilasters.