Ewer in the form of a conch shell

porcelain ca. 1700, mounts ca. 1750

Not on view

The Museum has a large and distinguished collection of Chinese celadon-glazed ceramics with eighteenth-century French gilt-bronze mounts. Both Chinese and Japanese porcelains were highly prized in eighteenth-century France, and imported porcelains were frequently mounted in gilt bronze to enhance their importance and value. While this porcelain shell has been attributed to China, it is now thought more likely to be Japanese in origin. This example of mounted porcelain is unusual due to the shell-shaped form of the porcelain, which is rare in Asian ceramics. The design of the gilt-bronze mounts accentuates the asymmetry of the shell and reflects the basic characteristics of the French rococo style – naturalistic motifs combined with C-scrolls employed in an asymmetrical design.

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

Title: Ewer in the form of a conch shell
Date: porcelain ca. 1700, mounts ca. 1750
Culture: Japanese with French mounts
Medium: Hard-paste porcelain, gilt-bronze mounts
Dimensions: Overall (confirmed): 11 5/8 × 7 9/16 × 5 3/8 in. (29.5 × 19.2 × 13.7 cm)
Classification: Metalwork-Gilt Bronze
Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Charles Wrightsman, 2013
Object Number: 2013.238.1
Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

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Bowl with cover and stand, Paul Le Riche French, Hard-paste porcelain, silver mounts, Japanese with French mounts — Bowl with cover and stand
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Pair of ewers, Gilt bronze, hard-paste porcelain, French — Pair of ewers
French
18th century

Potpourri bowl with cover (one of a pair), Hard-paste porcelain, gilt-bronze mounts, Japanese with French mounts — Potpourri bowl with cover (one of a pair)
Japanese with French mounts
porcelain late 17th century, mounts ca. 1745–50

Pair of vases, Hard-paste porcelain; gilt-bronze mounts, Chinese with French mounts — Pair of vases
Chinese with French mounts
mounts ca. 1760–70, porcelain early 18th century

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