Sevres Porcelain Neoclassical Vase with Ormolu Mounts

A large Sevres porcelain and ormolu mounted vase and cover,…
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A large Sevres porcelain and ormolu mounted vase and cover, late 19th century, decorated with an oval panel depicting a lady and gentleman on a bleu de roi ground within richly gilded and tooled cartouches and borders, with Neoclassical style bronze wreath handles and decorations, 52 cm high

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  • Ormolu - Ormolu was popular with French craftsmen in the 18th and 19th century for ornamental fittings for furniture, clocks and other decorative items. True ormolu is gilt bronze, that is bronze that has been coated with gold using a mercury amalgam. Due to the health risks associated with using mercury, this method of creating ormolu was discontinued in France in the 1830s. A substitute was developed consisting of about 75% copper and 25% zinc, however it was inferior to the bronze version. It was often lacquered to prevent it tarnishing.
  • Bronze - An alloy of copper and tin, traditionally in the proportions of about 9 parts of copper to 1 part of tin.

    The discovery of bronze in Western Asia in the 4th century enabled people to create metal objects which were superior to those previoulsy possible because of its strength and hardness, and it has been used throughout the world for weapons, coins, tools, statuary and other decorative items.

    It is very fluid in a molten state, and its hardness, strength when set, and non-corrosive properties makes it most suitable for casting sculpture.
  • Bleu De Roi - Bleu de roi is a deep blue colour used in porcelain decoration, specifically in the decoration of French porcelain. It is similar to, but darker than the colour "Bleu Celeste" and it was first used by the Sèvres porcelain factory in the 18th century. The colour is created by adding cobalt oxide to the glaze. The name Bleu de Roi comes from the French for "King's Blue," and it was favored by King Louis XV of France.

    It was one of the colours used to decorate the most elaborate and luxurious pieces, and was used to create intricate designs and patterns, including flowers, landscapes, and figural scenes.
  • Gilding - Gilding is a method of ornamentation whereby a thin sheet of gold metal is applied to items made of wood, leather, ceramics, glass and silver for decorative purposes.

    For furniture including mirrors, the sheet of gold is usually applied over a coating of gesso. Gesso is a mixture of plaster of Paris and gypsum mixed with water and then applied to the carved wooden frames of mirrors and picture frames as a base for applying the gold leaf. After numerous coats of gesso have been applied, allowed to dry and then sanded a coat of "bole", a usually red coloured mixture of clay and glue is brushed on and allowed to dry, after which the gold leaf is applied. Over time parts of the gilding will rub off so the base colour can be seen. In water gilding, this was generally a blue colour, while in oil gilding, the under layer was often yellow. In Victorian times, gilders frequently used red as a pigment beneath the gold leaf.

    Metal was often gilded by a process known as fire gilding. Gold mixed with mercury was applied and heated, causing the mercury to evaporate, the long-term effect of which was to kill or disable the craftsman or woman from mercury poisoning. The pursuit of beauty has claimed many victims, not the least of which were the artists who made those pieces so highly sought after today.

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