China, Jingdezhen, early Qianlong period,
Porcelain with celadon glaze, mount in chased and gilt bronze
Versailles, Musée National des Châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon, inv. V5251
The body of this fountain consists of a vase in crackled Chinese celadon porcelain, the most prized kind in Europe at the time. The gilt bronze mount made in Paris transforms this vase into a perfume fountain. The object was originally accompanied by a jar and two dogs in Japanese porcelain, now lost. Purchased by Louis XV, this luxury object, combining the rarest Chinese porcelain with the excellence of Parisian gilt bronze, was placed in the king’s wardrobe, next to his private chamber in Versailles.
