This vase is one of a pair, with the other bearing the inventory number
400-0001. The two vases are identical, save for the battle scenes depicted on their bodies. The lip, handles, and base of the vase are made of gilt bronze, while its lid, neck, body, and foot, as well as the column underneath it, are porcelain. Gilt bronze elements connect these porcelain sections to one another. The bronze piece that connects the vase’s body to its foot is in the form of highly stylised leaves. The lid, neck, and foot of the vase, and the column beneath, feature gilded decorations on a navy blue background. The gilt bronze finial on the lid of the vase is in the shape of an upside down acorn. The gilt bronze handles on either side of the vase extend almost the entire length of its body. There is a marble slab between the vase and the column underneath it, and the plinth of this two-part piece is also made of marble.
The decorative elements on the vase and the battle scene depicted on its body are related to the reign of Napoleon I (1804-1814). The golden eagle on the neck of the vase, the initial ‘N’ on the lid, and the laurels surrounding them, are all among Napoleon’s heraldic imagery. Inside the lid, there is a stamp reading ‘M.
Imple [Manufacture Impériale] de Sèvres’, which was used between 1804-1812, as well as the inscription ‘Friedland 1807’, in reference to the battle shown on the body of the vase. The lower right corner of the battle scene bears the signature ‘H. Desprez’, indicating its painter, and below it is the word ‘Sèvres’. Although Desprez frequently painted Napoleonic scenes on Sèvres-like porcelain vases and plates, the Sèvres Porcelain Factory
states that he was not among their official artists.
The body of the vase features a copy of the painting
1807, Friedland by Ernest Meissonier. The Battle of Friedland, resulting in Napoleon’s definitive victory over Russia, was one of the most decisive engagements of the Napoleonic Wars, which took place between France and various European coalitions between 1803-1815. The Napoleonic Wars were often depicted in paintings and on decorative objects of this period, due to their historical significance.
In the original painting, Meissonier depicts Napoleon and his generals saluting the French army as it advances into battle. Desprez made various changes in adapting the painting to porcelain, using the entire circumference of the vase’s body. On the column, there is a second painting also bearing the signature ‘H. Desprez’, which shows a uniformed figure on a brown horse.
