Pair of porphyry vases
The monumental scale of this magnificent pair of Swedish Blyberg porphyry vases suggests they were a Royal commission. Various related porphyry items were intended as gifts by the francophile King of Sweden, Maréchal Bernadotte, who reigned as Karl XIV Johann from 1818-‘44, and whose family owned the Alvdalen porphyry mines. The King presented numerous porphyry objets to Napoléon’s Maréchaux and other dignitaries which explains why various superb porphyry examples can be found in France today, some with superb gilt-bronze mounts by Paris bronziers. The rich ormolu mounts on the present vases was most likely conceived in Paris after designs by the Swedish architect Carl Fredrik Sundvall; the design corresponds to a model on a Swedish illustrated commercial catalogue from 1830.
These remarkable vases, inspired by the classical Medici vase, are amongst the largest vases known made in Swedish porphyry, and probably the most impressive to ever appear on the market. With their rich gilt bronze mounts and imposing scale, they might have been a royal commission with a view to gift them to a diplomatic counterpart.
Given the impressive nature of the present pair, it is highly likely that the commission was made by a significant, perhaps even royal, figure. The delicate mounts, beautifully chased and burnished, combined with the scale of the monumental porphyry vases exemplify the opulent aesthetic that was being produced collaboratively in Sweden and France – a true tour de force of materiality and heritage skills.
