This tall and thin,
fuseau (spindle-shaped) vase is one of a pair with the vase with the inventory number
400-0234. The porcelain has a cobalt blue ground colour, with gilt bronze mounts. On its front, inside a gilded frame, is a pastoral scene after Jean-Honoré Fragonard’s (1732-1806)
Le Jardinier, signed ‘Angel’.
The work which provided the inspiration for ‘Angel’s painting is one part of a series made by Fragonard while he was working in François Boucher’s studio, comprising
La Bergère, Le Moissonneur, La Vendangeuse and Le Jardinier. These four pastoral paintings depict the agricultural work needed to be carried out in each of the four seasons. ‘Angel’ has only reproduced the posture and gestures of the main figure, while taking liberties with the colours and other details. The male figure is depicted as gathering flowers instead of holding a bird as depicted in the original painting.
The finial of the vase’s lid is in the form of an acorn. The gilt bronze handles on either side of the body are decorated with leaves on the apex and the point where they join the body. The vase features gilded vegetal decorations on the neck, feet and the back. On the feet, next to the decorations, are two interlaced ‘L’s reminiscent of Sèvres-style marks and the number ‘53’, likely indicating the year of production. The octagonal pedestal is decorated with flowers and foliate branches.
Fragonard’s paintings have been used as inspiration for many porcelain objects. One such example is the cabinet in the SSM Decorative Arts Collection with the inventory number
400-0069, featuring the central scene from Fragonard’s
Les progrès de l'amour: lettres d'amour.