Art Institute of Chicago

Pair of Vases (Pots Pourris à Bobèches)

Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory (French, founded 1740)

Date

c. 1759

Medium

Soft-paste porcelain, polychrome enamels, and gilding

Culture

Sèvres

Department

Applied Arts of Europe

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

These multi-functional vessels served as both candleholders and room fresheners. Potpourri or burning pastilles were inserted at the foot of each vase, and the perfume was released through the intricate piercing along the sides and the bulblike projection between the candleholders. The resulting scent created the illusion that the porcelain flowers atop the vases were alive.

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