Offered by Franck Baptiste Paris
Extremely rare garniture composed of three cases, two of them with flowers.
The bodies of the three cases are in blue biscuit with a turquoise glaze and have a rocaille bronze mounting, the latter consisting of a base and a ring in the upper part. They are lined with an interior in zinc and for two, a tray of foliage in a sheet of metal varnished in green and decorated with flowers « au naturel » in porcelain (jasmine, cornflowers, dahlias, roses, tulips, daffodils ...).
The bodies in blue biscuit come from scholars’ inkwells *, cut to be transformed into small boxes.
- For the two big ones, China, Jingdezhen kilns, Qing dynasty, Kangxi reign (1662-1722).
- For the small one, literary instruments (pen, brush, inkwell) incised under the cover, China, Jingdezhen kilns, Ming dynasty, Jiajing reign (1507-1567).
*For an intact inkwell of this type, see the Laura Collection book "East Asian Ceramics", page 153.
The flowers in polychrome porcelain, Vincennes factory and Meissen factory, circa 1750-60.
The finely chased and gilded bronze mount with acanthus scrolls and shells, Paris circa 1750-60, probably attributable to the bronzier Jean-Claude Duplessis (1699-1774).
The set was probably commissioned by the merchant Lazare Duvaux (1703-1758) in the years 1750-60.
Very good condition; a crack to the back of one case, small misses to the petals of some flowers.
Dimensions:
Flower boxes: total height: 38 cm; width: 22 cm; depth: 14 cm.
Bases: height: 13 cm; width: 22 cm; depth: 14 cm.
The middle piece: height: 11 cm; width: 19 cm; depth: 15 cm.
Our opinion:
This type of production which was created and invented in Paris by the « marchands-merciers », and especially by the great specialist, Lazare Duvaux, combines the intense color of oriental porcelain with the brilliance of gilded bronze and the delicate polychromy of European flowers.
With a clientele including the elite of the nobility (the king, the Dauphin, Madame de Pompadour, the duke deRichelieu, des Deux-Ponts...) and with the help of the bronze smith Duplessis, Lazare Duvaux became one of the greatest suppliers of objects from China mounted on bronze and was one of the greatest consumers of porcelain flowers during the reign of Louis XV. The rare set we present is part of the peak of this production, whether by the presence of an outstandingly costly China porcelain at the time, the richness of the bronze mounting, or the size, variety and fineness of the flowers. Lazare Duvaux's diary book is full of these deliveries of flower boxes, some of which are mentioned as "lapis porcelain" or "petit bleu des Indes" and could correspond to our models.
In our opinion, this type of decoration constitutes the quintessence of the great Louis XV taste, which could even be called the Pompadour taste.
