This vase is one of a pair, with the other bearing the inventory number
400-0028. The lid, neck, body and foot of the vase are porcelain, and are connected to each other with gilt bronze elements. Its lid, neck and foot are adorned with dark blue and gilded foliate decorations. The gilt bronze finial on the lid of the vase is in the shape of an upside down acorn. Its gilt bronze plinth is decorated with horn-shaped
cornucopia motifs symbolising abundance and prosperity, as well as flower reliefs.
The stamp underneath the lid of the vase features two intertwined ‘L’s with the inscription ‘Sèvres’ underneath. The letter ‘O’ in the middle of the symbol, typically indicating the production dates of pieces from the Sèvres Porcelain Factory, refers to 1767. The composition surrounding the body of the vase is signed ‘Claire Maglin-Rochette’. Maglin Rochette was the daughter and student of A. Maglin, an artist who worked at the Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory around the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The discrepancy between the date indicated by the Sèvres mark and the period in which Maglin Rochette lived, suggests that the vase may have been decorated at a later date.
The body of the vase features a putto figure standing on a pedestal. The term putto (plural putti) denotes a mythological figure in a work of art depicted as a chubby male child, usually naked and sometimes winged. Next to the putto is a female figure, leaning on the pedestal and embracing the putto’s feet while gazing up at his face. On the other side of the pedestal is another putto, holding a floral wreath. There are clusters of irises to the right of this group, and flowers reminiscent of lisianthus to the left. Flying putti figures complete the overall composition. The predominant use of pastel pinks, blues and greens, along with the putti carrying bows and arrows, suggest a romantic theme. Putti, embodying the playful and romantic spirit of the Rococo style which originated in the eighteenth century, were often preferred by porcelain painters throughout the nineteenth century.
