A PAIR OF SWEDISH ORMOLU-MOUNTED BLYBERG PORPHYRY VASES

Conceived in the Swedish late Gustavian neo-classical style, these magnificent Blyberg porphyry vases are among the most richly-mounted examples of Swedish porphyry executed around 1800. They correspond to designs for porphyry vases by C.F. Sundvall of 1788-'90 and in particular to those executed by court ciseleur Frederik Ludwig Rung (1748-1810) of 1799 (H. Sundblom, 'Porfyr', Stockholm, 1985, p. 21). Rung had trained in France and England before returning to Stockholm where he established a workshop in 1787 specialising in clocks, candelabra and mounts for porphyry objects. His 1799 designs depict various shapes of unmounted vases, tazze and boxes, including the exact shape of our present vases, no. 26 and no. 2, available in two sizes. The drawing also includes two designs for vases with mounts very similar to those present vases and it is highly probable that Rung was responsible for the execution of these. Rung's principal and most characteristic mounts were satyr-mask handles, which he developed into a larger and more bearded variant than those found in French ormolu at that time. The vase presented to King Gustav III in 1787 was mounted with these masks as well as various other tall, slender examples on column now in the Royal palace in Stockholm (op. cit. frontispiece and p. 3).