Vase [2 of 2]

The vase hollandois nouveau ovale was first introduced at Sèvres in 1758 and remained in production until the 1780s. It is a variation of a shape introduced at Vincennes in 1754 known as a vase hollandois, which had a flat base with straight-sided angled walls at the upper section. The newer form had a lower section raised slightly on four feet and an upper section with walls that flared outward at the top-the whole being less heavy and more elegant than the earlier form. The name probably refers to the Dutch passion for flowering bulbs. The vase was made in two sections, the upper part intended to hold plants or bulbs in earth; the lower section for holding water, which could be added through the openings in the shoulder and would then be absorbed into the soil in the upper section through small holes in the base of that section (see Technical Notes). Although the factory's stock list for 1759 lists molds for the vase hollandois nouveau in both round and oval versions, most of the surviving examples are oval, and they were usually sold in pairs (see also cat. 79), though garnitures of three vases are known (see cat. 80).
These two vases are among the earliest known examples of this shape in the third size. They are decorated with an overglaze green ground overlaid with rather restrained gilding. On the long sides of each upper and lower section there are large panels of white reserves framed with a slight gilded border. Each reserve is painted with polychrome floral sprays. The narrow sides of each section are decorated with gilded floral garlands at the top of the upper parts and along the body of the lower parts. The gilding on these garlands is tooled and burnished, giving a rich texture and delineation to the flowers that nicely echo the floral painting in the reserves.
The reserves on these vases are among the earliest on this type of vase to follow the outlines of the shapes they decorate. Earlier examples have oval or shaped reserves (see cat. 78). These more rectilinear shapes provide a larger area for painted decoration and became more or less standard on vases produced in this shape (see cat. 80).
These vases are also among the earliest known examples of this shape to be decorated with a green ground. Savill notes that the green ground color was not usual until 1756, probably after the move to Sèvres in that year. At the time, the color was sometimes referred to as "verd d'après le Saxe" or "fond vert de Saxe"(Saxon green), reflecting the ongoing competition with the Meissen manufactory in Saxony.