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Probably vase 'ferré' of the first size and vase 'ferré' of the second size
  • Garniture of Three Vases and Covers
  • Probably vase 'ferré' of the first size and vase 'ferré' of the second size
  • Sèvres Manufactory
  • Possibly Etienne-Maurice Falconet (1716–1791), Designer
  • Sèvres, France
  • Date: c. 1779 (vase and cover)
  • Medium: Soft-paste porcelain, painted and gilded
  • Object size: C264, 42.4 x 19.2 cm
  • Object size: C265, 35.1 x 15.5 cm
  • Object size: C266, 35.3 x 16 cm
  • Inv: C264-6
  • Location: Study
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Description
Provenance
Marks/Inscriptions
Further Reading
  • Vases were often displayed as garnitures, which made a lavish mantlepiece decoration. This is a garniture of three ‘vases ferré’, a name which refers to the way in which the applied decorated panels, suspended by sculpted ropes, are ‘clamped’ on to the vase body.
    The turquoise blue 'bleu céleste' ground is unusually thin and partially translucent, while the painted decoration is of the highest quality and can be attributed to Antoine Caton (op. 1749-98) and Louis-Gabriel Chulot (op. 1755-1800). The front reserves of the smaller vases feature gallant pastoral scenes, while the centrepiece shows a schoolmaster about to beat one of his pupils and a girl being punished by having to wear an ass’s ear on her head. In keeping with the subject, the trophies on the sides of this vase show schoolbooks, a doll, a kite and various other toys.

    The figure scenes all relate to works by François Boucher. C265 is based on his ‘Autumn Pastoral', now in the Wallace Collection (P482) and C266 on ‘The enjoyable Lesson’ (National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne). Boucher may have supplied drawings of these compositions to the manufactory since they are reproduced in the same sense as the original painting. The schoolmaster scene (original drawing now in the Albertina, Vienna) is in reverse; the source for this was the biscuit porcelain figure group modelled by Falconet after Boucher and introduced in 1762.

    In the 19th century, the 4th Marquess of Hertford acquired them in the sale of the maréchal Sébastiani, who had been French Ambassador to London when Hertford House was let as the French embassy.