Sevres grand Garniture - Le Reve d'or

A garniture is a number or collection of any matching decorative objects intended to be displayed together. Frequently made of metal, ormolu, often with gilded wood stands, porcelain (both European and Asian), garnitures became popular during the latter half of the 17th century and remained in vogue throughout the 19th century. A very common placement is on the mantelpiece over a fireplace, but garnitures were very often placed on various pieces of furniture, and on ledges or niches around the walls of a room, especially over doors or above fireplaces. Garnitures may contain pieces made together with a view to being used as a set, or may be "assembled" by the decorator from pieces of different origin.

This garniture was made by the Royal manufactory in Sèvres and bought by Madame de Pompadour, for her residence at Château de Bellevue in Meudon. The garniture contains:

Pot-pourri vase in the shape of a ship (Pictures 5 to 9)

This vase in the shape of a masted ship is arguably the most famous model made by the Sèvres Royal manufactory, and was copied by several English and Continental factories. Extensive openwork and piercing, of the sails and rigging on the cover and the round, porthole-like openings on the shoulder, are evidence that it was used to contain a pot-pourri mixture of dried flowers, herbs and spices. There is evidence to suggest that 12 were made between 1757 and 1764, although only ten are known today
Given the difficulty of firing soft-paste porcelain successfully in the kiln, the cover is an extraordinary feat of technical achievement. The vase also demonstrates the very fine sculptural detail characteristic of the manufactory's production. Even the twist of the rope in the rigging can be seen. At both ends there is a mask with flowing hair surmounted by bulrushes. These indicate the association with water and, therefore, that the mask is that of a marine creature, despite its resemblance to a lion. Protruding from the creature's mouth is a ribbed spar like the battering rams found on Greek and Roman battleships.
The difficulty and expense of producing such a sculptural object meant that the model was one of the most expensive vases sold by Sèvres. Despite the fleurs-de-lis in gilding that decorate the pennant on all the examples, this was not an object intended exclusively for the king and royal family, and several were purchased by important members of the French court.

"Cuvette Mahon" vases (Pictures 10 to 13)

This vase of sinuous shape is a strong statement of rococo design by the chief Sèvres factory designer Jean-Claude Duplessis. The name "Mahon" refers to the town of Mahon on the island of Minorca, which was captured by the French in 1756 in what was celebrated as one of the greatest triumphs of the Seven Years’ War. It was purchased in 1758 by the duc d’Orléans at the private sale that the king put together every year at Versailles to promote the products of his beloved factory.
The vase has a Rococo shape of a type known through the factory records as called "Cuvette Mahon" and stands on scroll feet. On the front side is the beautiful Rococo frame in which is a landscape pictures with two children catching birds. On the back side there is a similar frame with a picture of a landscape with ancient ruins.

Elephant-head vases (Pictures 14 to 16)

The vase with elephant heads is one of the iconic shapes associated with the Sèvres manufactory. The shape was first made in 1756, the year that the factory moved from Vincennes to Sèvres. Possibly as a result of improved technical conditions in the new premises, the year was marked by the introduction of several ambitious shapes. Animals such as elephants and monkeys appealed to the rococo taste for exoticism, but it is unclear whether the idea to incorporate elephant heads on this vase came from an Oriental object or was inspired by their appearance in porcelain made by other European manufacturies, for example the vase supported by elephant heads made by Meissen between 1735 and 1736. The elephant-head vases were made for a few years, until the early 1760s, and were often included in some of the factory's most expensive sets of vases, with both Louis XV and Madame de Pompadour purchasing examples. Twenty-four examples of this shape are known today.

You can adjust the intensity of the shadows beneath the vases by selecting the face of the shadow and lowering the transparency to your liking.
Contains Normal and Specular maps.
Land impact is 1 for each of 5 vases.
Number of triangles: 20683 for Pot-pourri vase, 4759 for "Cuvette Mahon" vase and 9343 for Elephant-head vase.
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