D2460. Massive Blue and White Garniture

Marked LPKan in blue for De Porceleyne Lampetkan (The Porcelain Ewer) factory from 1609 until 1811

Comprising of five coevered vases, the octagonal foot is decorated with leaves, alternated with scrollwork, below a band of diamond shapes, the octagonal bodies divided in eight vertical planes decorated with a Chinese landscape, alternated with a design of stacked flowers, above a wide band of floral decoration alternated with sections of speckles and dots, this design repeats on the covers, the neck painted with Chinese symbols, the covers repeat the body decoration, under a band of c-volutes and stars, each cover with standing foo-dog finial.

DIMENSIONS
Height: 67 cm. (26.4 in.)

PROVENANCE
French Private Collection, Paris, 2023 (Provenance+)

NOTE
Garniture sets are traditionally produced in sets of three, five, seven, and even up to seventeen pieces, notably produced by Rochus Hoppesteijn, owner of the Moriaanshooft (the Moor’s Head) factory from 1680 to 1692. Garniture sets were decorative, adorning cupboards and mantelpieces. Remarkably, garnitures of considerable height, such as this one, are exceptionally scarce. The production of objects of this size presented substantial challenges due to technical limitations, resulting in a greater risk of failure, likely prompting their creation on special request only. The National Trust collection in England boasts several examples of large vases and garniture sets with an elite provenance from the seventeenth century. One notable example even retains the original purchase price in 1698: £3.00.00. The present five-piece set underscores the enduring fascination with extravagant, sizable garniture sets, even into the late eighteenth century.

SIMILAR EXAMPLE
A five-piece blue and white garniture set is featured in Aronson 2005, p. 60 albeit with a distinct model and decor. The set dates from the same period and is of comparable height to the present example.