Pair of urns; France, 20th century

Pair of urns; France, 20th century
Glazed porcelain; bronze
Measurements: 73 x 30 x 23 cm.

Pair of Louis XVI-style lidded urns, crafted from Sèvres-style glazed porcelain with bronze mounts. They feature an ovoid body on a flared base and a lid topped with a pineapple-shaped knob; the surface, in an intense turquoise-blue glaze, is embellished with rocaille-inspired gilding and oval medallions painted with classically inspired mythological scenes, framed by floral borders. The handles are shaped like winged female busts.

These urns are part of the historicist production of the second half of the 19th century, a tradition that continued into the 20th century, when French manufacturers successfully recreated the models developed by the Royal Manufactory of Sèvres during the reign of Louis XVI. The combination of the characteristic turquoise-blue background. The scenes reproduce compositions taken from the “Four Elements” series by Francesco Albani (Bologna, 1578–1660), one of the leading representatives of the Bolognese school of the Seicento, renowned for his delicate mythological allegories populated by cherubs and classical deities.