A SET OF FOUR ORMOLU AND SILVERED-COPPER JARDINIERES

These striking jardinières, with their bold lion mask and lion pelt garlands set against a body which was previously blue-decorated, were evidently inspired by the famous ‘vases Dulac’ created in the 1770’s by the marchand Jean Dulac with bodies of bleu lapis Sèvres porcelain and ormolu lion mask mounts, enclosing ingenious pop-up candelabra (see for instance a pair with château d’Eu inventory marks, possibly those originally supplied to Madame du Barry in 1774, sold Christie’s, London, 2 December 1997, lot 40). The stylish metalwork of these jardinières indicates that they may well have been commissioned directly by Arturo Lopez-Willshaw, who was known to patronize fashionable bronziers of the day such as Maison Toulouse.