Pair of eggshaped vases “Merveilleuses”, Paris

Museum quality eggshaped vases on piedouche, white ground with engraved gold decoration, portaits of two elegant woman dressed in the most fashionnable way. One side is the day time, the other side is the evening wear, on clair bleu ground that soften the overall look. Beautifull handles ending in men’s masks left in white. Great condition.This pair is an important illustration of the easthetics of fashion at that time, when the trend was made by groups called the “Incroyables et Merveilleuses”. 

Size: H 32cm, base 8cm x 8cm

Parisian manufactory, Empire period.

Lit: The Incroyables (French: “incredibles”) and their female counterparts, the Merveilleuses (French: “marvelous women”), were members of a fashionable aristocratic subculture in Paris during the French Directory (1795–1799). Whether as catharsis or in a need to reconnect with other survivors of the Reign of Terror, they greeted the new regime with an outbreak of luxury, decadence, and even silliness. They held hundreds of balls and started fashion trends in clothing and mannerisms that today seem exaggerated. Members of the ruling classes were also among the movement’s leading figures, and the group heavily influenced the politics, clothing, and arts of the period.