One of a Pair of Vases (Vase à bandes)

This neoclassical vase (one of a pair) is distinguished by its satyr-head handles. The ground is a color known as "bleu nouveau," and rich oak and laurel garlands in gold surround the painted decorations. At Sèvres, a plaster model for this oviform shape is inscribed with the name of the sculptor Etienne-Maurice Falconet (1716-1791), but the designer was more likely the director of sculpture at the manufactory, Louis-Simon Boizot (1743-1809). Jean-Louis Morin (1731-1787) decorated the vase with harbor scenes (which seems to recall a tapestry after David Teniers II), and Jean Pierre Boulanger père (1722-1785) was responsible for the gilding. There is a similar vase in the Wallace Collection, as well as in the Palazzo Pitti in Florence.