Perfume Fountain, France, Louis XV Period

Porcelain with Vermeil trim, 18th century. Magnificent perfume fountain dating from the reign of Louis XV. The body of the fountain is an 18th century Chinese meiping vase in crackled beige porcelain stoneware. Neck rimmed with silver-gilt, just like the lid which is applied with red-toothed leaves. An agate pinecone tops the whole. The tap in the lower part of the fountain is in vermeil. It is formed by a flower bud emerging from leaves, in the center of which is the tube through which the perfume flows. We find exactly this tap on Marie Antoinette's perfume fountain, kept in the Louvre and on other perfume fountains from the first half of the 18th century. See last photo. The fountain rests on a gilded bronze base. It must have rested on a base also in gilded bronze, allowing it to be raised. The neck of the fountain is hallmarked: . Parrot head: discharge mark for silver between 1744 and 1750 These perfume fountains were assembled by mercantile merchants who imported Asian ceramics and made them in gold, silver or bronze in order to adapt them to Western uses. Exceptional perfume fountain dating from the reign of Louis XV, made with an Asian vase and mounted in silver and gilded bronze. These luxury objects are superb testimonies of the art of living at the 18th century court. 14.8 cm high 5.5 cm diameter 245.2 grams Very good condition. A small original defect to the glaze, chipping at the top of the socket; small deformation at the gilded bronze base.