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Beehive Vase (vase ruche no. 1): C.3.1 & A-1955

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Object information

Current Location: Gallery 26 (Lower Marlay)

Titles

Beehive Vase (vase ruche no. 1)

Maker(s)

Production: Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory

Entities

Categories

Description

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

Notes

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.

Legal notes

Given by the Friends of the Fitzwilliam Museum

Measurements and weight

Height: 24.7 cm

Place(s) associated

  • Sèvres ⪼ France

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Given (1955-05-26) by The Friends of the Fitzwilliam Museum

Dating

18th Century, Mid#
Circa 1768 CE - 1769 CE

Note

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).

School or Style

Rococo

Components of the work

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

References and bibliographic entries

Identification numbers

Accession number: C.3.1 & A-1955
Primary reference Number: 93539
Stable URI

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Monday 19 June 2023 Last processed: Thursday 7 December 2023

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Applied Arts

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "Beehive Vase (vase ruche no. 1)" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/93539 Accessed: 2024-11-02 20:22:35

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{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/93539 |title=Beehive Vase (vase ruche no. 1) |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-11-02 20:22:35|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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