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This exhibition is in the past. View our current exhibitions.
Matrimony vases
These vases would have been destined for luxurious neo-classical interiors comparable to those represented in the scenes painted on the front reserves. Using designs by Jean-Michel Moreau le jeune (1741–1814), the Sèvres painter has hardly deviated from his models. With the exception of the centre vase, the vases probably formed part of a garniture of five purchased by Louis XVI, who acquired a comparable suite at the 1783 end-of-year sale at Versailles. The scenes can be read as a cartoon sequence illustrating the joys of matrimony.