A very fine pair of Régence gilt bronze mounted late Kangxi period porcelain pot-pourri vases, each with the porcelain lid and bowl with a green on white lattice-work ground interspersed by circular cartouches enclosing iron red floral sprays, the domed lid surmounted by a Régence gilt bronze foliate wrapped fruiting finial above the domed lid with pierced mounted stars above a Louis XVI pierced entrelac gilt bronze gallery mounted with four spirally twisted ring handles, the bowl raised on a Régence gilt bronze circular cup on four lion paw supports, each headed by rosettes on an octagonal base

The porcelain vases: China, most probably made at the Jingdezhen kilns, late Kangxi period, date circa 1700-25.

The gilt bronze finials and bases: Paris, date circa 1715-20.

The gilt bronze entrelac galleries: Paris, date circa 1710-20

Height 33 cm, width 21.5 cm. each.

The vogue for mounting Chinese export porcelain, which goes back to the Renaissance, enjoyed a great revival during the eighteenth century. The present vases have been designed to serve as pot-pourri vases and as such the domed lid has been pierced and mounted with stars while the central section has had an additional pierced gallery. Its creation would have been masterminded by one of the Parisian marchands-mercier who would have purchased the almost identical porcelain vases directly from one of the East Indies companies. He in turn would have called upon one of the Parisian bronziers for its final assembly. In this an earlier Régence lid and base have been used in conjunction with a later entrelac gallery.