Monumental pair of royal vases, Brussels

Monumental Pair of egg-shaped vases on square bases with “crosse” handles with lion head medallion. On one side, the portraits of the Duke and Duchess of Brabant, future King and Queen of Belgium, Leopold II and Marie-Henriette. On the back side are showing, for the duke, the polychrome arms of the Belgian crown flanked by two lions and summed with flags of the nine provinces; for the Duchess, the alliance of the two spouses arms. The portraits are signed by the porcelain painter Jean-Antoine Balthazar Mertel and are dated 1853. Finely gilded and delicately engraved depicting acanthus leaves, roses, pine trees, crowned armor helmets laid on shields and other styled plant motifs. Porcelain of Brussels, Ixelles factory I Cappellemans period.

Dimensions: H 71,5cm – base: 18cm x 18cm – Maximum width: 37cm

This unique pair, intended as a present to the bride and groom, was created and commissioned the year of the wedding of Leopold II and Marie-Henriette. To date, we know of no other similar pair.

This pair is also interesting from the historical point of view of the Brussels porcelain since the manufactory belonged to the Cappellemans brothers in 1853, owners of the manufactory in Hal. The ceramic painter Jean-Antoine Balthazar Mertel, worked between Hal and Brussels.
Published in the book « Des armoiries de familles belges sur céramiques » by Didier Cogels van Reynegom and Michel Cardon de Lichtbuer (éditors), 2014 ,page 190-191.