Pair of egg shaped vases, Mecury’s handles, Brussels

Superb pair of egg-shaped vases on piedouche. Beautiful cartouches painted with animated landscapes framed with engraved gold. Burgundy ground at the back. Overall, beautifully gild with quality shiny gold. Rare pair of “crosse” handles with a caduceus and ending with a mercury’s masks in white bisque. High quality. No marks.

Size: H 25,5 cm – base 9 cm x 9 cm

Brussels porcelain, Ixelles manufactory, circa 1825-1840.

Lit : Mercury, in Roman mythology (Hermes for the Greeks), is the god of trade, thieves and travel. He is also the messenger of the gods. He wears a winged helmet. His attribute, the caduceus, nowadays a medical emblem, was in the 19th century the emblem of merchants and communication professions (such as printers).
Lit: Frédéric Faber and Charles Christophe Windisch associated their know-hows and created the Manufactory of XL I in 1824. Windisch was a fantastic porcelain designer and maker. Faber was a genius painter on porcelain. Their collaboration will enable Brussels to compete with the best manufacturers in Europe by selling very high-quality porcelain. In 1825, Faber becomes the official royal manufactory for King Willem 1st. Nevertheless, their roads separated at Belgian independence around 1830.
Faber’s sons, Henri and Edouard, will take over the manufacture and work in the spirit of their father until 1849, year in which J.B. Cappellemans, owner of the Halle manufactory, will buy them over.
Windisch sets up his own business, thus founding the second porcelain factory in Ixelles, Ixelles II. In 1842, Michel Antoine Caillet will take over the manufactory until 1852. It is at that time, that the Vermeren-Coché family will take over and the heir will passionately run it until 1953.