Pair Of French “sang-de-boeuf” Porcelain Vases With Gilt Bronze Mounts, 19th Century

An important pair of covered vases made in French porcelain with a deep sang-de-boeuf glaze, the intense ruby-red tone achieved through copper oxides fired in reduction.
The finely chased gilt bronze mounts feature scrolling handles, acanthus leaf garlands, decorative borders, and domed lids surmounted by pinecone finials. The shaped bases, also in gilt bronze, are enriched with fluted panels and neoclassical-inspired motifs.
French work, second half of the 19th century, in the Napoléon III taste, when monochrome porcelains – often imported from China or produced in imitation of Oriental models – were lavishly mounted with gilt bronzes in the manner of Sèvres and the great Parisian bronziers such as Thomire and his followers.
Due to their impressive size, the quality of the porcelain, and the richness of the mounts, these vases were intended for grand interiors and aristocratic collections.