† AN IMPRESSIVE KAKIEMON ‘SAKE THIEF’ POT POURRI VASE AND COVER, THE MOUNTS BY ESCALIER DE CRISTAL, PARIS

Japan, late 17th century (the porcelain); France, Paris, second half of the 19^th century (the mounts)

Of square form with gently flared sides, the cover with four holes and a berried foliate finial, with a guilloche cast neck, the angles with a scrolled corbel above entwined berried laurel, on a stepped square base cast with friezes, on bracket feet, the porcelain decorated in vibrant enamels of turquoise, blue, pale yellow, red, and black to depict a boy wearing long flowing robes and dipping a drinking bowl into the large jar before him, behind a second overflowing sake jar with a ladle swimming in the liquid, all below a rocky overhang with leafy and flowering shrubbery.

Inscriptions: To the base of the gilt-bronze mount, engraved in cursive script “Escalier de Cristal Paris”.

HEIGHT 25.8 cm

Condition: Very good condition with expected wear and traces of use, some flaking and minor losses to enamels, the lid with a small crack, the interior and mounts with remnants of plaster which shows some flaking. No significant changes in the condition since the gilt-bronze mountings were introduced. The areas underneath the mounts have not been examined.
Provenance: From an old French private collection.

Established in 1802 by Madame Marie Désarnaud (1775-1842), the luxury store of the Maison A L'Escalier de Cristal supplied clocks, lamps, and other art objects to ruling families in Europe. The firm exhibited to great acclaim at the 1819 Exposition des produits de l’industrie and was appointed fournisseur breveté du Roi that same year. The business was located in the Palais Royal, a center of excellence for the high-quality jewelers, silversmiths and manufacturers of Objets de Vertu, for which Paris was renowned. Works from L’Escalier de Cristal were commissioned by French aristocrats, finding their way to many royal family collections including the collection of Tsarina Alexander, wife of Nicolas II, who visited Paris in 1896. The company commissioned manufacturers to supply individual components which were then assembled to the firm's own designs, much in the tradition of the 18th century marchands-merciers from whom they inherited their specialist profession. Famous among the pieces produced by L'Escalier de Cristal is the table de toilette, commissioned by the Duchess of Berry, which is housed in the Louvre Museum today. The atelier continued its success throughout the 19th and early 20th century by collaborating with designers and makers such as Gallé and Christofle, until it dissolved in 1923. Today, objects from L’Escalier de Cristal are housed in important public and private collections around the world.

Literature comparison:
Compare a related square bottle with gilt-bronze mounts, painted in the Kakiemon palette in Holland, in the collection of the Munich Residenz, illustrated by Lunsingh Scheurleer, Chinesisches und japanisches Porzellan in europäischen Fassungen, pl. 504.

Auction comparisons:
Compare a related pair of Kakiemon Vases, 27.3 cm height, dated Edo period (late 17^th century), the mounts 18th century, at Christie’s, Japanese Art and Design including Lacquer and Works of Art, 12 November 2003, London, lot 172 (sold for GBP 21,510). Compare a related pair of Kakiemon porcelain mounted Vases, 34 cm height, dated Edo period, ca. 1700-1725, mounting: ca. 1790, at Hôtel Drouot, Objects of Art and Beautiful Furnishings from the 16th to the 20th century - Great Decoration - Antique Paintings, 1 June 2022, Paris, lot 31 (estimate EUR 30,000-50,000).