Sevres style porcelain and gilt bronze jardiniere and vase garniture

Sèvres style porcelain and gilt bronze jardiniere and vase garniture
French, 19th Century
Jardiniere: Height 52cm, width 50cm, depth 35cm
Pair of vases: Height 74cm, width 35cm, depth 22cm

This exquisite, three-piece garniture will make a wonderful addition to a mantelpiece, niche or table, where its fine design and craftsmanship can be properly enjoyed.

The garniture consists of a jardinière, which has a wide and shallow bowl, accompanied by two taller, lidded vases.

The central jardinière stands on a circular gilt bronze plinth, which is architectural in style. The plinth is ornamented with winding, foliate patterns and beading, and raised up on four straight feet, decorated with acanthus leaves. Above, a gilt bronze laurel leaf wreath wraps around the socle, connecting it to the base. The porcelain socle, supporting the body of the jardinière, is painted a royal blue colour, decorated with floral band on a white ground, and with parcel gilt ornament. The socle is topped with a gilt bronze mount which connects it to the main body of the jardinière.

The main body of the jardinière is finished with a royal blue ground and features beautifully painted cartouches to the front and back. The front cartouche, signed ‘H. Poitevin’, is skilfully painted with a central ‘Fête Galante’ scene of a gentleman and lady courting, with a maiden looking on from the side, all set within a leafy gilt border. The cartouche to the reverse is painted with a floral composition, set against a white background and framed within a gold border. The body is fitted with two, gilt bronze handles to either side, which are cast as scrolling fruiting vines that terminate in classical female busts, and fitted with a pierced gilt bronze frieze to the rim. The inside of the bowl is further decorated with a colourful flower arrangement.

The pair of flanking vases are similarly decorated with gilt bronze plinths, painted cartouches by Poitevin, and twin gilt bronze handles. Each vase features an elaborate lid, decorated with flower bands and parcel gilt ornamentation, and topped with a tall, gilt bronze pinecone finial.

This three-piece garniture is a stunning piece of French Rococo style design and can be enjoyed as a piece of decorative art, or used more practically to display flowers or fruit.

Artist/maker: (style of) Sèvres (French, founded 1738)