Pair of Vases (Pots Pourris à Bobèches)
Jean-Claude Duplessis
1754–1764
- Medium
- Soft-paste porcelain, polychrome enamels, and gilding
- Dimensions
- 1994.371.1: 24.2 × 15 × 8.9 cm (9 1/2 × 5 7/8 × 3 1/2 in.); 1994.371.2: 24.8 × 15.3 × 8.9 cm (9 3/4 × 6 × 3 1/2 in.)
- Genre
- vase
- Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago
Tags
porcelaineuropean decorative artssoft-paste porcelainvasevesselceramicsinorganic materialceramic
About
These multi-functional vessels served as both candleholders and room fresheners. Potpourri or burning pastilles were inserted at the foot of each vase, and the perfume was released through the intricate piercing along the sides and the bulblike projection between the candleholders. The resulting scent created the illusion that the porcelain flowers atop the vases were alive.
