Gardner Factory gilt ground antique Russian porcelain vase

This beautiful antique porcelain vase is an exceptional piece, made by the famous Russian Gardner factory in the second quarter of the nineteenth century. Shaped in amphora form, it has a cylindrical neck with a flared rim while the sides are mounted with foliate-moulded handles with lion's head terminals.

The front of the body of the vase is painted with an idyllic countryside scene within a gilt ciselé border. The reverse side is decorated with a crown surrounded by foliage and flowers on a green ground. The vase is set on a spreading socle and square base, which is marked to the underside with the marks for the Russian Gardner Factory.

The present piece listed here is very similar in form to two vases by the Gardner Factory, dated 1828-1829, which are preserved in the State Russian Museum, St Petersburg. The supebly exectued scene, by a talented artist for the Gardner factory, portrays a highborn family on a walk, greeting some working fishermen by the river against a tranquil countryside background.

These vases are particularly notable for their unapologetic display of the aesthetics of High Neoclassicism: Romanticised scenes of Russian peasant life, executed with great style and skill, demonstrating the artistry of the makers and making this present piece a beautiful interior decorative element indeed.