Potpourri Vase

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Potpourri Vase

Place of OriginFrance

Dateabout 1745-1749

DimensionsH: 16 1/4 in. (41.3 cm)

MediumGlazed chinese porcelain with gilt-bronze mounts

ClassificationMetalwork

Credit LinePurchased with funds from the Florence Scott Libbey Bequest in Memory of her Father, Maurice A. Scott

Object number

1955.224A-B

On View

Toledo Museum of Art (2445 Monroe Street), Gallery, 27

Label TextLife in 18th-century France could be, frankly, smelly. For example, according to a disapproving visitor to the sprawling royal palace Versailles in 1764 (who was perhaps exaggerating), “The unpleasant odors in the park, gardens, even the château, make one’s gorge rise. The communicating passages, buildings in the wings, corridors, are full of urine and feces.” It is therefore no surprise that the wealthy used potpourri (dried flowers, wood, and other fragrant natural items) in their homes and that decorative vessels were designed to hold it. This deep blue porcelain potpourri vase is enhanced by gilt-bronze (ormolu) mounts that resemble scrolling plants with blooming flowers, culminating in a spiraling finial that could be used as a handle to lift the lid. Look for the holes piercing the body and the lid of the vase—partially concealed by the mounts—that allow the fragrance of the potpourri to waft out.