Pair of ormolu mounted Chinese famille verte porcelain vases

This magnificent resplendent pair of decorative wares are a pair of large Chinese, Canton-style, so-called famille verte porcelain vases. Mounted on spectacular ormolu mounts, they are each decorated with figures, animals, flowers, birds, insects and butterflies. Amongst this intricate decorative array there are a series of central panels which depict scenes from Chinese courtly life.

Known as famille verte for the predominant colour palette, they are scattered and decorated with areas and touches of reds, pinks, and other tones, which like the gilt-bronze mounts elevate and enliven these large, imposing works. The body is mallet-shaped, traditional of Canton crafts, and it is shaped in a loosely ovoid way with a slender neck.

The vases are with applied twin parcel gilt foo dog handles, and they are mounted on French, twentieth century gilt-bronze mounts which are cast and decorated in the Chinoiserie style. As such, they combine decadent European metalwork and craftsmanship with some of the finest craftsmanship from nineteenth century Qing dynasty porcelain making.