PAIR OF CHARLES X ALABASTER CASSOLETTES

A pair of Medici alabaster cassolettes decorated with acanthus leaves, from theCharles X period. The lip and the heel are underlined with foliage. The neck is decorated with a frieze of finely cut flowers. Each vase rests on a cylindrical base. This long, flared shape is derived from Greek bronze craters. These were used to mix water and wine for drinking. They took the name Medici when a large bell-shaped crater was found in the 1598 inventory of the Villa Medici. A great example of the ancient craters, it is now kept in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. This shape was then often used in all materials to evoke the grandeur of the ancient world.

Charles X period

Circa: 1825 Dim: W:19cm, D:19cm, H:36,5cm.

Condition report: restoration of some foliage, slight cracks.