By Edmé Samson
Located in Morristown, NJ
A handsome pair of French porcelain covered jars, attributed to Edmé Samson, dating to the late 19th or early 20th century.
Each baluster-form jar is finely hand decorated in the manner of Chinese Export armorial porcelain. The fronts display a colorful heraldic crest supported by a lion and unicorn and bearing the Latin motto “Sola Virtus Invicta,” meaning “Virtue Alone Is Invincible.” The armorial decoration is derived from that associated with the Howard family, Dukes of Norfolk.
The reverse of each jar is painted with exuberant famille rose floral sprays in shades of pink, coral, purple and green. The cream-colored porcelain grounds are further embellished with delicate raised white enamel decoration, scattered floral motifs and gilt borders. Each jar retains its fitted domed cover surmounted by a gilded finial.
Inscribed “Décoré Main” to the underside, indicating hand decoration, together with a red pseudo-Chinese seal-form decorator’s mark. These marks were employed by French manufacturers producing porcelain in the Chinese Export taste and should not be interpreted as Chinese or Japanese makers’ marks...
Category
Antique Late 19th Century French Chinoiserie Jars
MaterialsPorcelain, Paint