Description: This is a large and unusual double gourd vase with a fifteen sided cover. Painted and gilded in an "Imari" style. featuring fences, flowers and trees. It combines bravura brushwork and extravagant gilt enhancements for extra punch on this large alcove vase. Brilliantly painted orange and cobalt Imari on a white ground floral study. The pattern is knitted together with a flamboyant network of oversize orange enamel blossoms which enhance the jewel-like quality of the pattern. The lid and base of the vase are encircled with intertwining green vines and leaves. The handles on the vase are sea serpents with a human face. The cover's finial appears to be two smaller serpents.

History: Miles Mason began his career in 1796 as a china importer in London, England. At that time, Europe was actively engaged in trade with the Orient. The Orient was expressly efficient at producing quality china and porcelain and the extravagant designs streaming from the East were immensely popular throughout Europe. As the production of china became more and more heavily influenced by Oriental imports, Miles Mason made the decision to leave his job as a china wholesaler and open his own porcelain producing factory. In 1804, Mason officially announced his exit from the import business with an article in the London Morning Herald. Through his work as a china importer, Mason amassed considerable wealth. Using his acquired wealth as startup capital, he opened a pottery factory at Lane Delph, Fenton. In 1806, Mason’s factory officially opened and became known as the Minerva Works. Miles Mason solicited his three sons to manage his Fenton factory. Because the Minerva Works was controlled by the Mason family, the factory soon became known as “Masons.” Miles Mason’s earliest productions were simply marked with the backstamp “M Mason” and were heavily influenced by the Oriental porcelain that he imported to London in 1796.

Provenance: Arthur J Connolly, Naples, FL

Dimensions: Weight (Pounds & Ounces) = 27.25 | Height(in) = 28 | Width(in) = 15 | Depth(in) = 12

Size of Artwork(in): 28 x 15 x 12"

Artist Name: Chinese

Medium: Hard paste.

Circa: Circa 1810

There is one small chip on a wing of a serpent handle.