This practical flower vase was made in two parts, the upper part could be filled with earth and used for growing bulbs as their roots could grow down through the holes in its base and take up water poured into the pierced lower section. When bulbs were out of season, it could be used for fresh flowers or for porcelain flowers mounted on painted metal stems, thousands of which were made by the factory. This shape was one of a range made at Vincennes/Sèvres known as 'hollandois' (Dutch) as they were no doubt inspired by contemporary Dutch bulb pots made in tin-glazed earthenware. They were usually made in pairs with matching decoration, or were sometimes part of a set of three or five vases of related shapes, the central one being taller and wider. The model was first introduced in 1758 and was so popular it was still being made in 1780s.

The different decorative elements of this vase and its pair with their undulating outlines, richly gilded grounds and enamelled decoration of a young girl dancing to the music of her companion bag-piper, epitomise the rich, decorative Rococo style of the Louis XV period in eighteenth century France.