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Potpourri Vase with Classical Figures

1768

The Walters Art Museum

The Walters Art Museum
Baltimore, United States

It is believed that Catherine the Great gave this gold vase to her lover, Count Grigorii Grigorevich Orlov. Together with his brothers, the count organized a coup that placed Catherine on the Russian throne in 1762. The two putti on the lid support a shield bearing the count's monogram. Oval medallions have been painted with scenes of Flora, personifying spring, and Ceres, summer. Represented on the panels beneath the handles are Milon of Croton, a famous Greek athlete of the 6th century BC, and Hercules killing the Nemean lion.

The Cyrillic initials on the bottom of the vase designate St. Petersburg's assayer Ivan Frolov (1738-1779). The phonetic value of the two letters corresponds to "I F" in English.

The vase demonstrates the 18th-century goldsmith's mastery of the techniques of casting, chasing, and chiseling. Gold in different colors and in both matte and burnished finishes has been used.

Jean Pierre Ador was born near Geneva and baptised on 25 July 1724. This vase has been called his masterpiece. Many French artists worked on commission for Catherine the Great, and many relocated to Saint Petersburg at this time, the best known being Etienne Maurice Falconet. Catherine's reading of Voltaire while still Grand Duchess seems to have created a life long interest in all things French.

Details

  • Title: Potpourri Vase with Classical Figures
  • Creator: Jean Pierre Ador (Swiss, 1724-1784)
  • Date Created: 1768
  • External Link: For more information about this and thousands of other works of art in the Walters Art Museum collection, please visit art.thewalters.org
  • Roles: Goldsmith: Jean Pierre Ador (Swiss, 1724-1784)
  • Provenance: Grigory Grigorievich Orlov (1734-1783), St. Petersburg, 1768, by commission, or Catherine the Great (1729-1796), St. Petersburg, 1768, by commission; Grigory Grigorievich Orlov, St. Petersburg [date of acquisition unknown], by gift; Orlov-Davidoff Collection [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Henry Walters, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
  • Object Type: vases
  • Medium: multicolored gold, en plein and basse-taille enamel
  • Inscriptions: [Markings] On underside: assayer's mark, maker's mark and city of St. Petersburg mark
  • Geography: Place of Origin: Sankt-Peterburg
  • Exhibitions: From Rye to Raphael: The Walters Story. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. 2014-2016., Russian Art: Icons and Decorative Arts from the Origin to the Twentieth Century. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. 1959-1960., Russian Enamels. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. 1996-1997., Istoricheskaia vystavka predmetov iskusstva. 1904., Exuberance of Meaning: The Art Patronage of Catherine the Great. Georgia Museum of Art, Athens; Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens, Washington. 2013-2014.
  • Dimensions: H: 10 15/16 x W: 5 7/8 x D: 4 5/8 in. (27.8 x 14.9 x 11.7 cm); Lid H: 4 3/16 x W: 4 3/8 x D: 4 7/16 in. (10.6 x 11.1 x 11.2 cm); Base H: 7 5/16 x W: 5 7/8 x D: 4 5/8 in. (18.6 x 14.9 x 11.7 cm)
  • Credit Line: Acquired by Henry Walters
  • Classification: Gold, Silver & Jewelry
  • Accession Number: 57.864

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