Exceptional and large pair of Royal Vienna lidded porcelain vases

This exquisite pair of porcelain vases combines gilt decoration and painted scenes with Royal Vienna’s trademark deep red ground. Aside from the content of the painted friezes, the vases are almost identical in design.

The vases are notable for their unusual shape.  Each vase is of tapering cylindrical form, and is topped with a tiered dome cover surmounted by a spherical gilt finial. Aside from the painted friezes on the main body, the entirety of each vase is covered with bands of gilt decoration, contrasting against red, white, and black grounds. Foliate motifs dominate, with Greek key (meandros) friezes bordering the painted scenes. Particularly impressive is the largest band beneath the painted frieze, which is filled with gilt mythical animals, flaming torches, and scrolling designs, all ensconced within meandros cartouches.

Two painted scenes adorn each vase, exceptionally rendering episodes from ancient Greek and medieval mythology and history. The content of each scene can be elucidated from the German inscription to the bottom of the vase on each side. Three moments from ancient Greek lore are shown, depicting, respectively, Leander seeing Hero for the first time, the ancient Greek artist Zeuxis painting Juno from the features of five different women, and Telemachus hearing false news of his father Odysseus’ death. The final scene is an episode of medieval history: the wife of King Edward I, Eleonora, sucking the venom from her husband’s wound after he was stabbed with a poisoned knife. (Most likely) all of the scenes are painted after works by the Swiss artist Angelica Kauffman (1741-1807), and are recreated with remarkable similarity to the original, showcasing the exceptional skills of the vase’s maker.

Each vase features a Royal Vienna blue beehive mark on the underside.

These excellent decorative wares are exemplars of elegant Neoclassical style porcelain, emphasising why Royal Vienna are regarded as one of the foremost historic makers of European ceramics.