Pair of Vases (vases hollandois nouveaux, deuxième grandeur)

French craftsmen at Sèvres designed these vases to hold flowering plants and soil in the upper trumpet-shaped section. Water, added through openings in the lower base, fed the plants through small holes pierced near the base of the soil container. The two separate sections permitted easy removal of plants or excess water.

The Sèvres porcelain manufactory produced this design in five different sizes. Immensely popular, these vases sold in large quantities up until the French Revolution.