Cleveland Museum of Art

Pair of Potpourri Vases with Covers

Saint Cloud Porcelain FactoryLinkedCulture matchlcp-f5b91483b17b

Date: c. 1740–60
Medium: soft-paste porcelain
Culture: France, Saint Cloud, 18th century
Department: Decorative Art and Design
Institution: Cleveland Museum of Art
Object ID: 138445

As beautifully designed objects, the function of these vases is not immediately apparent. Created to contain potpourri, a mixture of flowers, herbs, and spices emitting ambient fragrance, their covers are decorated with delicate flowers spaced by small, unobtrusive perforations. The decoration continues onto the body of the container where intricate ribbing emulates a basket weave. The holes in the base of these vases may have held gilt-bronze flowering stems.

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Credit line: The Norweb Collection

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