Pair of large porcelain VASES with "Valentine blue" background

An important pair of high-necked baluster porcelain vases from the Napoleon III period. The cobalt-blue "Bleu de Valentine" background features a large cartouche of polychrome bouquets unfolding in a white oval reserve. Each reserve is framed by a stylized lace of gold fillets. The back is adorned with garlands of flowers in grotesque style, and the neck of each vase is also enhanced with gold knotwork, interlacing and acanthus leaf motifs. The delicacy of the gilding is remarkable for its transparent effects. The inside of the collars is also worked with gold rinceaux.

This type of vase from the Napoleon III period can be traced back to the Manufacture de Valentine, a porcelain factory established in the south of France as early as 1832.

Circa: 1870

Base dimensions: 18cm x 18cm (7.09 in x 7.09 in)

Overall dimensions: W: 23cm, D: 23cm, H: 54.5cm.
Overall dimensions: W: 9.1in, D: 9.1in, H: 21.5in.

Condition report: In good condition. Slight wear to gilding. Natural firing defect at the base.

Valentine's Manufactory (1832-1878)

Founded in Valentine, Toulouse, by former Moustiers-Sainte-Marie earthenware makers in the early 19th century, the factory produced porcelains distinguished by their high-gloss cobalt-blue enamel and floral bouquet motifs decorated with gold fillets. Their shaping was so precise and the floral decorations so remarkably executed that the Manufacture was awarded top prizes by the Duc d'Orléans at the 1937 Paris International Exhibition.