Vase with cover (part of a garniture)

Art Historical Context

This elegant covered vase, made around 1765–, comes from the Bow Porcelain Factory in London and features decoration by the artist James Giles. Crafted in soft-paste porcelain, European material developed to imitate prized Chinese wares, it measures over 12 inches in height forms part of a garniture—a coordinated set of vases meant for prominent display on a mantelpiece or cabinet. Such luxury objects signaled refined taste in Georgian-era homes. The Bow factory was one of Britain’s earliest porcelain producers, creating both useful and ornamental pieces during a time when ceramics were highly fashionable status symbols. James Giles, an independent London decorator, enhanced factory-made porcelain with painted motifs of birds and flowers, bringing color and vitality to the creamy white surface. Soft-paste porcelain, fired at lower temperatures than later hard-paste types, allowed for this delicate overglaze work while remaining more fragile. This vase reflects the artistic exchange of the mid-18th century, as British makers adapted Asian and continental influences into their own styles. Gifted to the museum by collector Irwin Untermyer in 1951, it offers a window into the skill and elegance of period decorative arts.