About this work
These ornamental vases were referred to as ‘vases with ears’ in reference to the way the handles extend organically out of the rim. The scrolling leaf-like forms reflect the prevailing Rococo taste of artists and designers in mid eighteenth-century France. The vases à oreilles were mainly sold in pairs or as parts of garnitures (sets of vases). The turquoise-coloured ground, known as bleu celeste, was introduced by the Vincennes Porcelain Factory in 1753 and quickly became one of its most sought after and expensive ground colours, having initially been used on a dinner service that was produced for Louis XV.