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Source Description
Between 1778 and 1782, Sèvres manufactured for Louis XVI a series of vases with handles shaped as busts of infants, young women, and old men, hence the name "vases des âges." The Walters' examples, with the infants and a "bleu nouveau" ground color, bear classical scenes and an additional decoration of "jewels" composed of enamel drops over gold foil.The classical scenes are derived from an illustrated edition of Télémaque, a romance set in antiquity written by Fénélon in 1699. This vase shows Telemachus, the son of Ulysses, winning a chariot race. The other side of the vase has a reserve decorated with floral motifs.This vase and its pair (WAM 48.566) were designed by Jacques-François Deparis. The painting was by Antoine Caton, the gilding by Etienne-Henry Le Guay, and the jewels by Philippe Parpette.The J. Paul Getty Museum has examples of the first and second sizes. There are 23 known examples in existence.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
21080
label
One of a Pair of Vases (Vase des âges à têtes d'enfants)
core
obj
dtoType
object
citationUrl
pageCount
7
Source metadata
id
21080
sourceUrl
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
One of a Pair of Vases (Vase des âges à têtes d'enfants)
description
Between 1778 and 1782, Sèvres manufactured for Louis XVI a series of vases with handles shaped as busts of infants, young women, and old men, hence the name "vases des âges." The Walters' examples, with the infants and a "bleu nouveau" ground color, bear classical scenes and an additional decoration of "jewels" composed of enamel drops over gold foil.The classical scenes are derived from an illustrated edition of Télémaque, a romance set in antiquity written by Fénélon in 1699. This vase shows Telemachus, the son of Ulysses, winning a chariot race. The other side of the vase has a reserve decorated with floral motifs.This vase and its pair (WAM 48.566) were designed by Jacques-François Deparis. The painting was by Antoine Caton, the gilding by Etienne-Henry Le Guay, and the jewels by Philippe Parpette.The J. Paul Getty Museum has examples of the first and second sizes. There are 23 known examples in existence.
provenance
Louis XVI, Chateau de Versailles, November 2, 1781, by purchase [from Sèvres factory]; Rothchild Collection [date and mode of acquisition unknown] [not verified]; Collection Park Heirlooms [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; E.M. Hodgkins, Paris, no. 70 [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; A. Seligmann, Rey and Co., New York; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1928, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
date
ca. 1778
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
vases
imageCount
7
pageCount
7
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
35
height
19
depth
15.5
dimensionsRaw
Overall H: 13 3/4 × W: 7 1/2 × D: 6 1/8 in. (35 × 19 × 15.5 cm); Base, W: 3 15/16 × D: 3 15/16 in. (10 × 10 cm); Body only, H: 11 13/16 in. (30 cm); Lid only, H: 2 1/2 × Diam: 3 1/8 in. (6.3 × 8 cm)
Source extras
inscriptions
[Repairer's Mark] Incised on the inside of the rim: B (Bono
Étienne Henri
répareur); [Gilder's Mark] Le Guay
Étienne Henry
med
gilt and enamel on soft paste porcelain
creator_ids
4150
2082
2960
4540
5429
1916
collection_ids
EAN
exhibition_ids
415
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