Vase Aubert No. 40

Manufacturer Manufacture nationale de Sèvres (French, 1740-present)

Place of OriginSèvres, France

Dateabout 1927-1928

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

MediumPainted porcelain (pâte nouvelle)

ClassificationCeramics

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

Object number

1991.66

Not on View

Label TextPainted with a stylized scene of a tiger hunt in a lush Indian jungle, this Art Deco vase by venerable French porcelain company Sèvres shows the appeal of Asian-inspired motifs for Western consumers in the early 20th century. The scene includes hunters in howdahs (platforms) on the backs of elephants, brandishing rifles. Sèvres also produced a pair to this vase with African scenes. A set of the vases that included the British Royal arms on the necks was presented by the French President to King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (later known as the Queen Mother when her daughter Elizabeth II became monarch) on the occasion of his coronation in 1937. This context lends a strong flavor of colonialism to the subject matter at a time when the British Empire and other colonial powers were waning post-World War I.