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CHELSEA PORCELAIN WORKS [LONDON] (C. 1745-69)
Pair of vases with covers
c. 1750-52Porcelain, gilt bronze | 50.5 x 17.5 cm (whole object) | RCIN 2336
Imitations of expensive Japanese wares were made soon after the secret of porcelain manufacture was discovered in Europe in 1709. This example was produced at the Chelsea porcelain factory, established in 1745. The nineteenth-century English mounts are European approximations of an imagined ‘Asian’ style. They match the interior decoration at the Royal Pavilion, Brighton, where George IV displayed the vase alongside authentic Japanese pieces.
