Vase
1825-1850 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
This is one of a pair of vases which resemble small cassolettes, or perfume burners, although they could not have functioned as such because the piercing on the lid does not in fact pierce the lid completely. Instead, they can be transformed into a candlesticks thanks to a lid that becomes a sconce for a candle when reversed. The form of the vases is neoclassical, and their design strongly recalls decorative elements on late-eighteenth and nineteenth-century wall lights, although these vases do not appear to have been recycled from a larger object. They combine decoration and function, and may have formed part of the equipment for a desk. Their bright gilding and heavy construction suggest they were made in the nineteenth century, and they reflect the taste of the wealthy during this period for furnishings that recalled the sumptuous, gilded aesthetic of French eighteenth-century palace interiors.
Object details
Category | |
Object type | |
Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
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Materials and techniques | gilded bronze |
Brief description | Vase and lid of gilded copper alloy, when reversed the lid becomes a candle sconce which slots into the vase. One of a pair. |
Physical description | Gilded copper alloy vase decorated with festoons of laurel leaves, with a lid. The hollow lid of the vase has a bud-shaped finial and is pierced to make the vase resemble a cassolette or perfume burner, although the piercing does not extend to the underside of the lid. The lid can be reversed and inserted into the vase to form a candlestick. |
Dimensions |
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Credit line | Bequeathed by John Jones |
Object history | This is one of a pair of vases which can be transformed into candlesticks that were bequeathed to the Museum by the collector John Jones in 1882. The handbook to his collection (published posthumously) does not record where he displayed them, but it is possible they were placed on one of the many desks or tables in the rooms of his house. |
Summary | This is one of a pair of vases which resemble small cassolettes, or perfume burners, although they could not have functioned as such because the piercing on the lid does not in fact pierce the lid completely. Instead, they can be transformed into a candlesticks thanks to a lid that becomes a sconce for a candle when reversed. The form of the vases is neoclassical, and their design strongly recalls decorative elements on late-eighteenth and nineteenth-century wall lights, although these vases do not appear to have been recycled from a larger object. They combine decoration and function, and may have formed part of the equipment for a desk. Their bright gilding and heavy construction suggest they were made in the nineteenth century, and they reflect the taste of the wealthy during this period for furnishings that recalled the sumptuous, gilded aesthetic of French eighteenth-century palace interiors. |
Bibliographic references |
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Collection | |
Accession number | 987-1882 |
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Record created | April 17, 2000 |
Record URL |
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