VIEUX PARIS - Vase (2) - Vases with double handles in pure gold

SHIPPING: I can ship within 24-48 hours, which is why the shipping is a bit higher; the item will be wrapped with bubble wrap and cardboard with maximum care since it is a fragile and valuable object. Additionally, to prevent issues it will be insured. - Are you on vacation? I offer a premium service, maximum delivery flexibility; I can ship to the pickup point closest to you, so you can collect it at your leisure when you prefer. KEEP IN CLOSED DISPLAY CASE I am one of the few sellers who can ship worldwide thanks to owning and registering the EORI CODE, which guarantees peace of mind and faster shipping even outside the European Union. Historical-artistic description Elegant and rare pair of porcelain vases painted and gilded, attributable in type and decorative language to the Franco-Neapolitan production of the first half of the 19th century. The neoclassical-taste form, with oval body, wide flared neck, plastic handles and a square-based foot, directly recalls Parisian porcelains imported into the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and subsequently decorated in the refined Neapolitan ateliers. The execution quality of the pair is particularly high. The harmonious proportions, the complexity of the handles, the extensive use of gilding and especially the meticulously painted figurative scenes indicate a production aimed at a high-level clientele, quite different from common decorative porcelain. In this kind of artifact the vase was not merely a furnishing object, but a true element of representation for aristocratic and bourgeois interiors of the 19th century. Raffaele Giovine and the Neapolitan milieu In style, subjects and decorative conception, the pair shows interesting affinities with the production of Giovine’s workshop, the famous miniature artist and decorator of porcelains active in Naples in the first half of the 19th century. After the crisis of the Real Fabbrica Ferdinandea, white porcelains coming mainly from Paris were imported to Naples and entrusted to local specialists to be painted and gilded. Giovine was one of the most important figures of this phenomenon and enjoyed the patronage of Francesco I of Bourbon, king of the Two Sicilies. The comparison is particularly interesting because many auction houses have documented Paris porcelain vases, around 1825, probably decorated in Naples by Raffaele Giovine, characterized by a gilded ground and figures or groups of characters placed in Italian rural landscapes. Even the General Catalogue of Cultural Heritage preserves works attributed to Giovine in which French porcelain is enhanced by figurative painting and gold. Hand-painted entirely The central scenes are handmade with an extremely precise painting technique. The faces, hands, folds of clothing, color variations of the fabrics and the atmospheric construction of the landscape show the miniature taste typical of the best porcelain decoration of the era. Particularly refined is the contrast between the intense tones of violet, blue and pink of the costumes and the darker, more muted landscape enveloping the figures. Raffaele Giovine and his workshop used such figurative repertoires. The Ministry of Culture documents, for example, a work attributed to Giovine with young women and a child in Neapolitan costumes, linked to engravings by Raffaele Aloja based on designs by Giacomo Milani. This shows how central the images of the population and costumes of the Kingdom of Naples were in the decorator’s repertoire. The extraordinary gilding One of the most impressive aspects of the pair is the very rich gilding, which covers the neck, the mouth, the handles, the lower part of the body, the base and the foot. The surface still retains notable brightness and in many spots presents a nearly mirror-like effect, characteristic of gildings properly fired and subsequently browned. The extent of gilded parts required expensive and technically delicate work. In 19th-century luxury porcelain the gold was applied to the glazed surface, fixed by firing and could later be browned to obtain greater brightness. The preservation of such extensive gilding is therefore one of the most appreciable decorative elements of the pair. The precise composition and karat of the gold can, of course, only be determined by instrumental analysis and not by photography alone. First vase – female figure in the landscape The first vase features a young woman in traditional dress, characterized by an blue skirt, bodice in violet tones, light apron and headdress. The figure is set in a rocky and natural landscape, built through deep tones and atmospheric transitions. The subject belongs to the nineteenth-century taste for picturesque representations of local populations and their costumes. These images were particularly sought after by Grand Tour travelers and by European aristocratic clientele, fascinated by scenes of daily life in Southern Italy. The figure is not conceived as a simple ornament, but as a true small painting transferred onto the porcelain surface. Second vase – family group in costume The second vase presents an even more elaborate composition, with three women of different ages, including a girl, gathered in the foreground within a landscape. The dresses in shades of blue, violet, white and pink create a strong focal point against the darker background. The scene can be interpreted as a representation of family or popular life in Southern Italy. The presence of the adult woman together with the younger figures gives the composition an intimate and narrative character. The subject finds meaningful parallels in the Neapolitan repertoire of the period, particularly in depictions of women and children in costume associated with the milieu of Raffaele Giovine. Historical context In the period roughly spanning 1820 to 1840, Naples was one of the major European centers for porcelain decoration. Unadorned porcelains could be purchased from French manufactories and subsequently transformed by Neapolitan artists into luxury objects. Museum documentation also confirms that Giovine’s workshop worked on porcelains from important foreign manufactories. Giovine himself had relations with the Bourbon court, and his workshop produced objects destined also for royal and diplomatic gifts. Notable works attributed to him include large vases with portraits of the Bourbon royal family.

Stima:€700

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