Two ormolu and Wucai porcelain vases, retailed by Boin-Taburet

The vases are of matching design. Each vase stands on a short ormolu (gilt bronze) gadrooned foot, set on an ormolu base with scalloped corners. The vases’ bodies are ovoid and crafted from white porcelain. They are finely hand-painted with Chinese ‘Wucai’ (‘five colour’) decoration. These designs include red, green, blue and yellow fabric trails, bows and medallions containing geometric motifs. The vases’ middles are encircled by ormolu bands which are pierced with square openings and draped with swags and wreaths. These openings make the vases perfect for storing pot-pourri, as they allow the scent of the dried flowers and spices to escape and diffuse across the room. Each vase’s ovoid body comes apart into two pieces—the bottom section forms a bowl and the top serves as a lid. The interiors of the bowls are finely painted in the same style as the exteriors. The vases’ lids are crowned by ormolu pomegranate finials with beaded edges.

These porcelain vases were created in China in the 17^th Century. They were then exported to France and fitted with ormolu mounts in the late 19^th Century. These mounts are designed in the Louis XVI (or Neoclassical) style which was fashionable in Europe from the late 18^th Century onwards.  

The vases are stamped with the name of the retailer, ‘Bointaburet A Paris’. Bon-Tauburet was founded in 1873 by the antiques dealer George Boin and the jeweller Emile Taburet. The company manufactured its own silver and metalwork, but it also retailed luxury pieces of furniture and decorative art, like these vases.