A 19th-century French chromolithograph of a Sèvres porcelain pot-pourri vase in rose Pompadour, likly from Édouard Garnier's celebrated study of Sèvres soft-paste porcelain. The boat-shaped body sweeps up at either end into white and gold rococo scrolls, its shoulder pierced with openwork so the scent of dried petals could drift into the room. The domed cover is modeled in relief with roses and blue flowers, and the front reserve is painted with two cherubs among the clouds, one holding a torch and the other a ribbon. Around the vase float numbered studies of birds and loose bouquets drawn from the manufactory's painted motifs. The Sèvres interlaced L mark with the date letter E, for 1757, is printed at the base. It is framed in gilt modern frame with a rope twist edge and a beaded inner border, and it is lovely in a bedroom, a dressing room, or a sitting room.
Chromolithography was the finest color printing process of the 19th century. Each color was drawn by hand onto its own limestone block, and the sheet was pressed against every stone in turn, sometimes a dozen or more, with each impression aligned precisely over the last. Here the gold was printed in metallic ink so it catches the light as gilding would.
- Origin: France
- Age: Late 19th century (Circa 1880)
- Medium: Chromolithograph with metallic gold on paper
- Details: Sèvres rose Pompadour pot-pourri vase with pierced shoulder, flower-encrusted cover, and cherub reserve, with bird and floral studies, printed Sèvres mark; gilt frame with rope twist and beaded edge, glazed
- Dimensions: 18.5 by 13.5
- Condition: Good antique condition with light toning to the paper consistent with age
