Garniture of Three Vases

This exquisite garniture consists of two elaborate vases with elephants’ heads supporting candleholders (for a detailed discussion of the model see C246–7) and a boat-shaped pot-pourri vase. It is the second of three ship-shaped models chief-designer Jean-Claude Duplessis père (op. 1745/1748–1774) created during the 1750s (see C225 and C256 for the other models). The piercings on the neck in C248 were required for the perfume to permeate and are a complex decorative pattern of entwining scrolls, while the cover is decorated with naturalistically sculpted and painted flowers, crowned by a small bouquet forming the knop. Decorated with a green ground, the pairs of cherubs on both sides of the three vases, were possibly executed by Charles-Nicolas Dodin (op. 1754-1802/3) and inspired by works of Boucher. The inventories of Madame de Pompadour’s apartments at Versailles and the Hôtel de Pompadour list three vases whose description closely matches the garniture in the Wallace Collection. Louis XV’s mistress might have bought this set in 1759 and then displayed the vases in different houses.