Pair of Sèvres vases with blue ground and gold decoration, 1825, delivered for the Duchesse de Berry at Saint-Cloud

Vase Clodion, third size

Marks on one: printed mark of interlaced Cs enclosing a fleur de lys with the word Sevres and the date 25, for 1825; green painted mark 17 7bre 24 E, for the application of the blue ground colour on 17 September 1824 and the initial E for the ground colour applicator; in gilding 28 janvier D.Y. the date of the application of the gilding with the gilder’s mark DY.

The other with no marks.

            The date of introduction of this shape of vase is not known. It is close to some terracotta vases by Clodion decorated with putti in low relief (Clodion, exhibition catalogue, Louvre, 1992, no.1). It was in 1803 that Clodion, already 64 years old, first worked at the factory, supplying models of figures for the surtout of the Service Olympique. Perhaps this form of vase was designed and named in his honour that year. A lapis ground pair was decorated with miniatures by Drolling in 1805, and a pair was painted by Béranger after Flaxman in 1808. An example in the Sèvres museum (MNCS 15504) has an all-over tortoiseshell ground and is dated 1805. Larger sizes appear around 1820, examples of which may be seen at Fontainebleau (catalogue nos. 49 and 50).

            Our vases are vases Clodion of the third size. They entered the factory sale room on 24 June 1825 with the reference number 237-1. They cost 107.50 Francs each and were marked at the sale price of 125 Francs each.

            On 25 June 1825 they were the first of four pairs of vases included in a royal delivery: Livré pour le Service du Garde Meuble de la Couronne au Château de St. Cloud. Appartement de Mme la Duchesse de Berry

237-1 2 Vases forme Clodion, 3e gr, fond bleu décor en or, 250 Francs

Another pair of the same size, with flower garlands, were delivered to the Garde-Meuble in 1828, and were used in the apartment of Marie d’Orléans, daughter of King Louis-Philippe

(4414)

£18,000