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Lot Essay
With their scrolling rocaille mounts, this pair of vases are a superb example of the skillful art of mounted porcelain, perfected by marchands-merciers such as Lazare Duvaux in the 1740s and 1750s.
They were part of the important collections of the Marquess of Cholmondeley at Houghton Hall, Norfolk, where they remained until 1984 when sold at Christie’s, London, 12 April 1984, lot 34. It seems likely they were originally acquired by Philip Sassoon for 25 Park Lane, and bequeathed to his sister, Sybil, the Marchioness of Cholmondeley, who had married George Cholmondeley, Earl of Rocksavage, in August 1913, and moved to Houghton when he inherited the title, 5th Marquess of Cholmondeley.
They unite precious powder blue Chinese porcelain vases with superbly cast and chased gilt-bronzes related to the oeuvre of chief designer and sculpteur at Sèvres Jean-Claude Chambellan Duplessis (1699-1774). The homogenous unity of form and bold decoration, suggesting that the mounts were made specifically for these vases, the acanthus ‘agraphe’ to the rim, and the virtuosity of the entwined scroll handles of the highest quality, illustrate the superb modelling and chasing for which Duplessis is renowned.
This pair, specifically their handles and foot mount, are related to a Louis XV ormolu-mounted vase illustrated in the 1763 painting by Henri-Horace Roland de la Porte, which was in fact his morceau de reception for admission to the Académie Royale Peinture et Sculpture in 1763 (INV 7267).
They were part of the important collections of the Marquess of Cholmondeley at Houghton Hall, Norfolk, where they remained until 1984 when sold at Christie’s, London, 12 April 1984, lot 34. It seems likely they were originally acquired by Philip Sassoon for 25 Park Lane, and bequeathed to his sister, Sybil, the Marchioness of Cholmondeley, who had married George Cholmondeley, Earl of Rocksavage, in August 1913, and moved to Houghton when he inherited the title, 5th Marquess of Cholmondeley.
They unite precious powder blue Chinese porcelain vases with superbly cast and chased gilt-bronzes related to the oeuvre of chief designer and sculpteur at Sèvres Jean-Claude Chambellan Duplessis (1699-1774). The homogenous unity of form and bold decoration, suggesting that the mounts were made specifically for these vases, the acanthus ‘agraphe’ to the rim, and the virtuosity of the entwined scroll handles of the highest quality, illustrate the superb modelling and chasing for which Duplessis is renowned.
This pair, specifically their handles and foot mount, are related to a Louis XV ormolu-mounted vase illustrated in the 1763 painting by Henri-Horace Roland de la Porte, which was in fact his morceau de reception for admission to the Académie Royale Peinture et Sculpture in 1763 (INV 7267).