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Beehive Vase (vase ruche no. 1)
Production: Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory
Glazed soft-paste porcelain beehive vase and cover, decorated with gilding
Soft-paste porcelain vase and cover, moulded, glazed, and gilded, with base of probably hard-paste porcelain, glazed, and gilded. The vase is in the shape of a slender beehive made of wickerwork, pierced at the base. The cover is moulded to resemble thatch and has a ring handle in the shape of a doubled over sheaf of corn, tied at the junction with the cover, so that ears of corn radiate from it. Two of each group of three vertical osiers on the vase, the corn stalks and the edges of the thatch on the cover are gilded. The vase stands on a separate square base, decorated with gold scrolls round the outer edges. One of a pair with C.3.2 & A-1955
History note: Possibly Baudin Collection; sold Paris, 12-13 January 1843, lot 131, 'Deux vases a ruche, imitation de Saxe'. . Collection of M. Lion of Paris, probably Adolphe Lion 47 Faubourg St Honoré Paris, VIIIe, or his son Charles who took the business on his father's death, from whom purchased by Mr Cecil Gould.
Given by the Friends of the Fitzwilliam Museum
Height: 24.7 cm
Method of acquisition: Given (1955-05-26) by The Friends of the Fitzwilliam Museum
18th Century, Mid#
Circa
1768
CE
-
1769
CE
This rare model was the first of two beehive-shaped ornamental vases produced by Sèvres. The plaster model (without a base) was no. 25 in the 1814 inventory of work 1740-80, and was illustrated by Albert Troude as ‘vase ruche, no. 1’. On accession this vase and its pair (C.3.2 & A-1955) were attributed to Vincennes, but this is not supported by the only documentary records so far found for them by Tamara Préaud, the archivist at Sèvres, which were in 1769 and 1775. The inventory of stock taken on 1 January 1769 listed two vases and their bases in the biscuit ready for glazing, valued at 48 livres each. Four 'vase ruche' were recorded as having fired successfully in the 'Etat de défournement de Couverte du 1er Avril 1769', under moulded pieces (Bibl. d’Institut de France MS 5675, p. 44).This suggests that two were made between 1 January and 1 April. In December 1769 a pair were recorded in the sale's records as bought by the duc de Praslin for 240 livres each. (Vy 4 fol. 193), which might have been the Fitzwilliam's pair. Two vases russe in the white at 48 livres were listed in the inventory of 1 January 1774 and two were sold to a Madame Luillier on 7 August 1775 for 120 livres each (Vy5, 23).
Base
composed of
hard-paste porcelain
( probably)
glaze
Height 5.1 cm
Body And Cover
composed of
lead-glaze
soft-paste porcelain
Cover
Decoration
Vase
Accession number: C.3.1 & A-1955
Primary reference Number: 93539
Stable URI
Owner or interested party:
The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department:
Applied Arts
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IIIF Manifest
The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "Beehive Vase (vase ruche no. 1)" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/93539 Accessed: 2024-11-24 07:13:34
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{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/93539
|title=Beehive Vase (vase ruche no. 1)
|author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-11-24 07:13:34|publisher=The
University of Cambridge}}
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<figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">Beehive Vase (vase ruche no. 1)</figcaption>
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