A PAIR OF GEORGE III GILT-COPPER 'GOAT'S HEAD' CANDLE-VASES

The 'goat's head' vase pattern was first recorded by in 1769 when a Mrs Yeats ordered from Matthew Boulton '1 pair of goat's head vauses light blue cheny or enamelled'. Several pairs were also listed in Christie's sale in 1771 of Boulton's ornaments. Twenty-eight pairs of 'candle vases with laurel festoons' were included in that sale, three enamalled pairs and five gilt pairs. A pair with blue john bodies with medallions of Alexander the Great (the only known medallion applied to the goat's head vase) is in The Royal Collection (see Goodison 2002, op. cit., p. 331). A pattern for the vase was included in the Pattern Book, vol. I, p. 171 and reproduced here.