Vase with cover (part of a garniture)
ca. 1765–70
Medium
Soft-paste porcelain
Dimensions
Height (wt. confirmed): 12 9/16 in., 4 lb. (31.9 cm, 1.8 kg)
Classification
Ceramics-Porcelain
Culture
British, Bow, London
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Irwin Untermyer, 1951
Accession Number
51.35.3a, b
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
This elegant covered vase, made around 1765–, comes from the Bow Porcelain Factory in London and features decoration by the artist James Giles. Crafted in soft-paste porcelain, European material developed to imitate prized Chinese wares, it measures over 12 inches in height forms part of a garniture—a coordinated set of vases meant for prominent display on a mantelpiece or cabinet. Such luxury objects signaled refined taste in Georgian-era homes. The Bow factory was one of Britain’s earliest porcelain producers, creating both useful and ornamental pieces during a time when ceramics were highl...