Vase (Cuvette Mahon)

Description

This wide-mouthed vase tapers sharply above four feet, which are formed by voluptuous scrolls. This rococo form was first produced in 1756 and was eventually made in three sizes, of which this is the largest. It was named vase Mahón to commemorate a military victory in the Seven Years’ War, in which the French captured the British-held town of Mahón on the island of Minorca. Ironically, neither the shape nor the painted decoration of this piece relates to the battle.

Vase (Cuvette Mahon)

Jean-Claude Duplessis

c. 1760

Accession Number

135714

Medium

Soft-paste porcelain, polychrome enamels, and gilding

Dimensions

20.7 × 28.9 × 15.8 cm (8 1/8 × 11 3/8 × 6 3/16 in.)

Classification

vase

Museum

The Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago, United States

Credit Line

Joseph Maier and Arthur Lewis Liebman Memorial: Gift of Kenneth J. Maier, M.D.