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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. These vases show Telemachus, the son of Ulysses, winning a chariot race and Minerva, disguised as an old man, persuading Telemachus to participate in a war against the Dauniens. These vases 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.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
77457
label
Pair of Vases (Vases des âges à têtes d'enfants)
core
obj
dtoType
object
citationUrl
https://purl.thewalters.org/art/VO.21 (48.566, 48.567)
pageCount
2
Source metadata
id
77457
sourceUrl
https://purl.thewalters.org/art/VO.21 (48.566, 48.567)
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
Pair of Vases (Vases 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. These vases show Telemachus, the son of Ulysses, winning a chariot race and Minerva, disguised as an old man, persuading Telemachus to participate in a war against the Dauniens. These vases 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.
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. 69 [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
https://purl.thewalters.org/art/VO.21 (48.566, 48.567)
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
vases
imageCount
2
pageCount
2
source
import
dimensionsRaw
14 in. (35.5 cm)
Source extras
inscriptions
[Repairer's Mark] Incised on the inside of the rim: B (Bono
Étienne Henri
répareur); [Gilder's Mark] Le Guay
Etienne Henry
RelatedObjects
21080
med
soft-paste porcelain with gilt and enamel
creator_ids
2082
4150
4540
1916
5429
2960
collection_ids
EAN
exhibition_ids
none
Page inventory
seq
1
type
photo
mediaId
1014b87108d94865
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
2
type
photo
mediaId
7441e4869c489b45
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no