Potpourri vase (pot-pourri à jour) 1754

This delicate potpourri vase was made at the Vincennes manufactory in France sometime between 1740 and 1756. Courtly culture in eighteenth-century France set a high premium on sensory refinement. What better way to refresh the air than with a beautiful porcelain vase filled with sweet-smelling dried petals? But, there's more to this vase than meets the eye. The intricate pierced work at the top, the carefully rendered birds and flowers - all of this speaks to the prominence of the French Royal court as a centre of taste, fashion, and power. Vincennes would soon become the Royal Factory at Sèvres, producing luxury items exclusively for the French aristocracy. This vase, then, represents the institutionalization of art as an expression of royal power and prestige. To understand its meaning fully, we can delve into the archives of the manufactory or study the courtly rituals of the period. This reveals the vase as an embodiment of a specific moment in French social and institutional history.