PAIR OF "CLODION" VASES WITH GRISAILLE MEDALLIONS ON A PORPHYRY GROUND

Sèvres, ca. 1803.

Mark 'Sèvres 11' in red.

H 19 cm, 19.2 cm. Restored.

The date of introduction of this shape of vase is not known. This pair is the earliest recoreded examples. The shape 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 aggpear around 1820, examples of which may be seen at Fontainebleau (catalgue nos. 49 and 50).Porphyry grounds occur at Sèvres during the revolutionary period, such as on the sundial at the Boston Museum. The cameo-style panels are copied from engravings. Three are taken from d'Hancarville's "Antiquités" of the late 1760s, which records ancient art in the collection of Sir William Hamilton. The fourth is from Volpato's set of engravings of Raphael's Vatican Loggia. Both these books were purchased by the factory in 1786.