Pair of ormolu mounted Canton famille jaune porcelain fish bowls

This superb pair of fish bowls is formed from the combination of Chinese porcelain and French ormolu mounts. Each piece features a Chinese porcelain bowl, the Canton famille jaune yellow-ground exterior surface painted with delicate portrayals of exotic birds perched in trees amidst butterflies and various abstract forms. The interior of each bowl is painted with imagery of coy swimming among underwater vegetation. Each fish bowl is adorned with French ormolu mounts: to the rim of each is set a reeded border set with flowers and adorned with twin acanthus leaf handles surmounted by seated putti. The fish bowls are raised on ormolu stands, each with four legs terminating in paw feet, and each adorned with a host of decorative motifs, including reclining figures and flowers.