Standing Vase

A marchand-mercier probably commissioned both the design and execution of this vase. He would have purchased the mid-1700s Chinese porcelain bowl and ordered a bronzier to make the mounts in gilt bronze. In this design, four elegant legs extend from satyrs' heads, linked with swags of vine leaves and bunches of grapes, to terminate in goat's hooves.

This vase was once part of the collection of a Polish princess who had been a great friend of Marie-Antoinette. The Polish princess, who spent a great deal of time in Paris before the French Revolution, is reputed to have acquired it at the sale of the contents of the palace of Versailles in 1794. Another vase was bought by the Prince Regent, who later became King George IV, for his London residence, Carlton House.