Large Porcelain Vase By Valentine, 19th Century—circa 1850–1860

Important Valentine porcelain vase, circa 1850–1860, resting on a circular gilded bronze base decorated with foliage in relief.
Total height: 58 cm.

The ovoid body is surmounted by a long, widely flared neck, ending in a dynamic rim generously accented with gold. The piece is distinguished by the great richness of its decoration, set against a deep blue, almost black background, crisscrossed by an abundant network of gilded scrolls, arabesques, and volutes.

The main panel features a large oval panel painted in polychrome depicting a young woman in Renaissance-inspired attire, standing in a landscape. She wears a long dress in shades of red and blue, embellished with gold details. Her elaborate hairstyle and the opulence of her clothing lend the depiction a historical and romantic character, in the historicist style particularly popular in the 19th century. The delicately rendered scene is surrounded by a gilded border and highlighted by the rich ornamental decoration on the body of the plate.

On the reverse, a second large panel features a decorative, pastoral, and artistic composition, bringing together birds, flowers, sheet music, and various objects arranged within a landscape.

The sides are adorned with smaller, polychromatic panels featuring delicate compositions of musical instruments, sheet music, flowers, and ribbons, set against a light background and within gilded frames.

The neck is flanked by two prominent handles designed in dynamic, Rocaille-inspired volutes and lavishly embellished with gold. Their sculptural treatment contributes to the piece’s particularly decorative and monumental appearance.

The vase rests on a gilded bronze base, forming a circular pedestal with plant and foliage motifs in relief, which emphasizes the elegance of its silhouette.

With its deep blue background, abundant gilding, polychrome compositions in reserve, and Rocaille and historicist decorative motifs, this significant piece can be linked to the productions of the Valentine porcelain manufactory in Haute-Garonne, which was active in the 19th century.

Attribution: Valentine Porcelain Manufactory, Haute-Garonne
Period: 19th century, probably around 1850–1860
Materials: polychrome and gilded porcelain; gilded bronze
Total height: 58 cm