Pair Of Empire Vases

Pair of large, hand-painted Empire porcelain vases, Restoration period, circa 1810. The decoration is double-sided. The front features two different scenes of courtesans or "demi-mondaines," making this pair of vases quite unusual. The back displays two different scenes within the same theme: a luminous landscape, castles, a meadow, and a riverbank. The painting is finely executed on both sides of each vase. The entire vase is adorned with exquisite matte and burnished gilding, particularly the side handles in the form of antique-style female busts with a matte finish. A large and highly decorative piece, vases of this size were considered a luxury item for Empire-style decoration at the time.