A PAIR OF CHINESE FAMILLE ROSE ORMOLU MOUNTED PRONK JARDINIÈRES

In their original form these jardinières were vases, and formed part of a five-piece garniture. The decoration is one of three known patterns to feature on this type of garniture, and is inspired by the Dutch-Swiss botanist, Marie Sybille Merian (1646-1717), who travelled extensively to the Dutch West Indies and who made drawings for a book first published in Holland in 1705, Metamorphosis Insectorum Surinamensium. A vase with the same pattern can be seen in Cohen & Cohen's catalogue of 2013, p.60, no.43.