Two swans, with their wings sweeping up, hold a pure white vase.
This is a vase of real elegance and drama. Its slender, classical body rises from a graceful pedestal foot to a flared neck and a crisp, ledged rim. At each side, a swan curves its long neck up and back to form a handle, with its wing spread in a sweep of finely sculpted feathers, and its breast and body modeled against the vase’s shoulder. The porcelain is a pure, glossy white, and with no decoration to distract, all of the beauty is in the form, the line, and the play of light on the swan’s feathers.
The swan is the signature of the Empire style. Empress Joséphine, Napoleon’s first wife, adored swans. She imported them to the lake at her home at Château de Malmaison, and they decorate the chair arms, curtains, carpets, and porcelain in its state rooms. The style that flourished in France around 1800 to 1815 made the swan a symbol of grace, and swan-handled vases remain one of its most beloved forms.
It is stamped Limoges, France, the home of French hard-paste porcelain. The story began in 1768, when kaolin, the essential clay for porcelain, was discovered near Saint-Yrieix, and the first Limoges porcelain factory was established in 1771 under the patronage of the Comte d’Artois. The town has been the capital of French porcelain ever since.
At about 20" tall and 8" at its widest, the vase has a commanding presence. It is stunning on a mantel, a console, or a sideboard, on a pedestal in an entryway, or as the centerpiece of a dining table, filled with branches, tall stems, or flowers, or left bare as a piece of sculpture. In a room of gold, dark wood, or rich color, the white glows, and in a room of white, it adds texture and form.
Details
Tall white porcelain vase with two sculpted winged swan handles, Empire style, pedestal foot, glossy white glaze, stamped Limoges France, approximately 20.25" tall x 8" wide at its widest
Tucked inside every set, a little something for first time Tavola customers — a hand-finished vintage passport notebook. Note the piece, the moment, the person you gave it to. One day these pieces will sit in someone else's hands — and they'll know it came from yours.
Two swans, with their wings sweeping up, hold a pure white vase.
This is a vase of real elegance and drama. Its slender, classical body rises from a graceful pedestal foot to a flared neck and a crisp, ledged rim. At each side, a swan curves its long neck up and back to form a handle, with its wing spread in a sweep of finely sculpted feathers, and its breast and body modeled against the vase’s shoulder. The porcelain is a pure, glossy white, and with no decoration to distract, all of the beauty is in the form, the line, and the play of light on the swan’s feathers.
The swan is the signature of the Empire style. Empress Joséphine, Napoleon’s first wife, adored swans. She imported them to the lake at her home at Château de Malmaison, and they decorate the chair arms, curtains, carpets, and porcelain in its state rooms. The style that flourished in France around 1800 to 1815 made the swan a symbol of grace, and swan-handled vases remain one of its most beloved forms.
It is stamped Limoges, France, the home of French hard-paste porcelain. The story began in 1768, when kaolin, the essential clay for porcelain, was discovered near Saint-Yrieix, and the first Limoges porcelain factory was established in 1771 under the patronage of the Comte d’Artois. The town has been the capital of French porcelain ever since.
At about 20" tall and 8" at its widest, the vase has a commanding presence. It is stunning on a mantel, a console, or a sideboard, on a pedestal in an entryway, or as the centerpiece of a dining table, filled with branches, tall stems, or flowers, or left bare as a piece of sculpture. In a room of gold, dark wood, or rich color, the white glows, and in a room of white, it adds texture and form.
Details
Tall white porcelain vase with two sculpted winged swan handles, Empire style, pedestal foot, glossy white glaze, stamped Limoges France, approximately 20.25" tall x 8" wide at its widest
Tucked inside every set, a little something for first time Tavola customers — a hand-finished vintage passport notebook. Note the piece, the moment, the person you gave it to. One day these pieces will sit in someone else's hands — and they'll know it came from yours.
