Pair of porcelain vases JACOB PETIT (1796-1865), France, mid-19th century.
Hand-painted porcelain and bronze.
Marks on the back.
Measurements: 51 x 19 cm.
The present vases are a truly rare object, produced by the Jacob Petit workshops. It consists of three parts: the body, the bronze neck and the cover. The body is painted in foliate parchment throughout, applied with colourful porcelain heads of flowers, leaves and birds, attached with handles of branches emitting clusters of orange blossoms. On his neck in bronze is a male head related to this classical divinity, vine leaves and bunches of grapes.
Jacob Petit (1796-1865) was one of the most famous porcelain artists of the 19th century. After travelling extensively in Europe, he returned to France and established a modest porcelain manufactory in Sèvres in 1830. As his business expanded, he moved to a rented factory in Fontainebleau in 1834 and by 1838 was offering highly prized ornamental objects to a distinguished clientele.
His work was an innovative fusion of neoclassical, rococo and romantic elements that blended complex motifs and sculptural forms using a lively and distinctive palette. He is generally credited with introducing Rococo into Parisian porcelain production in 1834, which was a radical departure from the prevailing neoclassical fashion.