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Probably designed by the silversmith Jean-Claude Duplessis, vases of this type are called à oreilles (with ears) because the foliar scrolls at the neck loop back to the shoulder to form ear-like handles. One of the most successful vase forms produced by Sèvres’s celebrated porcelain manufactory, vases à oreilles were made in five sizes, ranging from about four and a half to fifteen inches. Decorated with birds by Louis-Denis Armand l’aîné, these two were made en suite with the related pot-pourri à vaisseau. A set of pieces, or garniture, was intended to be displayed on a chest of drawers, pier table, or mantelpiece, often in front of a mirror.

Despite its name, the vase japon is an interpretation of a Chinese bronze Yu (or Hu) vase from the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.–220 A.D.). Its design and decoration derive from a woodblock print published in a forty-volume catalogue of the vast Chinese imperial collections compiled between 1749 and 1751 at the behest of the Qianlong emperor. Around 1767, a copy of this catalogue was sent to Henri Bertin, who at the time was France’s secretary of state and commissaire du roi at the Sèvres factory. The vase japon was made in 1774 along with two other vases of the same size, shape, and decoration. Each bears the mark of the gilder-painter Jean-Armand Fallot (act. 1764−90). However, of the three, only this example is adorned with a silver-gilt handle and chain, which, like its shape and surface pattern, are directly inspired by the Chinese model. The mounts bear the mark of Charles Ouizille, who, in 1784, became the official jeweler of Louis XVI.

Dressing and grooming (often done in the presence of friends and visitors) were important in the life of an eighteenth-century aristocrat, and the manufactory at Sèvres produced many accessories, often in sets, for these activities, including small boxes, jars, and brushes in different shapes and sizes. Large jugs and basins used to wash one’s hands with scent infused water were usually displayed on the dressing table during the morning ritual or in the garde-robe as precursors of the plumbed-in hand basin. At the time, clean water was a rare commodity, even for the wealthiest, and many doctors advised against bathing or even washing one’s face, fearing dangerous illness. However, the water jugs and basins made at Sèvres were always beautifully decorated, these with fruits and flowers in white reserves against a turquoise blue ground. The flowers and fruits — pink roses, mauve convolvuli, blue ranunculi, yellow anemones, pink peach, and purple plums, among others — were painted by Cyprien-Julien Hirel de Choisy (act. 1770−1800) in the style of a Flemish still-life painting.

The earliest pieces of French porcelain in the museum’s collection, this pair of vases was made in 1753, when the porcelain manufactory was located in the royal château of Vincennes, east of Paris. Named after Jean-Claude Duplessis, who invented their unusual shape around 1750, such vases were sometimes produced with chubby little children in relief, as seen here. Symbolic of the four seasons, these figures are almost certainly modeled after drawings by François Boucher. On one side, Summer grasps a sheaf of wheat as Autumn raises to his lips a vine laden with grapes. On the other side, Spring holds a garland of flowers while Winter rests on his companion’s thigh, warming his hands over glowing twigs. These figures were painted by Antoine Caton (act. 1749–98), who only a few years earlier began his long career at the porcelain manufactory. Caton became a prolific genre painter of a wide range of subjects, including military, historical, mythological, and pastoral scenes.

This sugar bowl is named after Pierre Calabre, one of the earliest stockholders in the porcelain manufactory. It was made in 1756, the year the manufactory moved from Vincennes to Sèvres, after a design invented in the early 1750s. The decoration is by Vincent Taillandier (act. 1753–90), who specialized in the painting of flowers on a small scale, among them, the roses, convolvuli, narcissi, cornflowers, and tulips seen here. This expensive type of decoration was favored by Madame de Pompadour, Madame Victoire, fourth daughter of Louis XV, and other important French aristocrats. Such sugar bowls were sold individually or as part of a tea set.