Vase; China, 20th century

Vase; China, 20th century
Glazed porcelain; bronze
Bears a stamp on the base
Measurements: 53 x 40 x 35 cm.

Vase or centerpiece with a lid made of glazed porcelain, with patinated bronze mounts, manufactured in China in the 1990s as a free reproduction of an eclectic 19th-century model. The body, with a bulbous profile and flared mouth, is decorated with a motif of intertwined ribbons and garlands in shades of blue and mauve, atop which are arranged bouquets of polychrome flowers; the crackled white background is complemented by a matching lid with a convex profile. The bronze mountings include an openwork rocaille border at the rim, a vegetal mask on the front, two large side handles topped by figures in the round, and a winged cherub figure applied to the front of the base, atop a circular pedestal also made of bronze.

The piece freely combines a taste for European-style floral decoration with bronze figures of classical or mythological inspiration, as part of the decorative production replicating 18th- and 19th-century Western styles that was widespread among Asian workshops catering to the export market from the late 20th century onward.