Minton Elephant Vases

View Similar Items

Huge Minton Majolica Vase

Garniture of Three Spill Vases, Painted by Lark Pratt, Minton, circa 1860

Pr. 19c Mintons Porcelain "Louis XVI Sevres Style" Blue Nouveau Ground Vases

Signed Pair Gilded Mintons Pate-Sur-Pate Caged Putti Footed Moon Flask Vases

Superb Rare Pair of Cherub Minton Caldwell Tiffany Blue and White Spill Vases

Pair of English Mintons Coral Ground Floral Motif Moon Flasks with Gilding

Minton Porcelain Centre Piece, Mazarine Blue with Gilt, Sèvres Style, 1862-1870

Pearled Vase

Abelia Vase

Schwarzburger Werkstätten Vase

Gerold Porzellan Vase

Rocky Ceramic Pillar Vase

Want more images or videos?

Request additional images or videos from the seller

1 of 8

Minton Elephant Vases

About the Item

These most extraordinary vases by Minton are known as vases à tête d'éléphant or Elephant vases, and are a revival of the Sèvres pair created for Louis XVI. Boasting two majestic elephant's heads apiece, each vase also exhibits marvelous gilding and hand-painted cartouches of pastoral scenes and floral bouquets. This is only the second time in several decades that M.S. Rau has owned a pair of these amazing works of art. Founded in 1793 in Staffordshire, Minton had the esteemed privilege of becoming Europe's leading ceramic factory during the Victorian era. The firm began making Sévres-style porcelain with impressive accuracy during the late 1820s in response to a demand for superior quality revivals of "antique" porcelain. Victorians especially admired 18th-century Sévres porcelain, but authentic pieces were hard to come by. Even wealthy collectors were challenged to find true Sèvres pieces, and the market was flooded in copies and fakes. Although most reproductions were acquired inadvertently, a number were sought out as works of art in their own right. Several companies produced these antique-style items, but by the 1860s, Minton porcelain was recognized as among the best. The pair of vase à tête d'éléphant, first made by Sévres in 1757, was an exceptional example of this. This was due to the fact that the designers and painters had opportunities to study the original models. Minton's clientele preferred the pieces that closely resembled identifiable Sévres. Even Queen Victoria herself was a fan. She even purchased a turquoise-ground dessert service displayed at the Crystal Palace Exhibition in 1851, and proclaimed that Minton's French-style wares were "in the best taste." Features Minton globe trademark and impressed potter's mark, month letter and year mark Dated March 1876 11 5/8" high References:Godden's Guide to English Porcelain, 1992, Geoffrey Godden, F.R.S.A.The Phillips Guide to English Porcelain of the 18th and 19th Centuries, 1989, John Sandon

Dimensions:
Height: 11.625 in (29.53 cm)
Sold As:
Set of 2
Materials and Techniques:
Gilt
Place of Origin:
England
Period:
19th Century
Date of Manufacture:
19th century
Condition:
Seller Location:
New Orleans, LA
Reference Number:
Seller: 29-56231stDibs: U1108188911198