Vases in Chinese Style, called “vases Japon”

1774
Jean-Armand Fallot

The Sèvres manufactory joined in the rush for “white gold”, the hard porcelain from China, whose production technique was not mastered in France until around 1770. These jars, which attest to a more archaeological approach to chinoiserie, are modelled directly on ancient vessels present in the catalogue of the Chinese imperial collections compiled between 1735 and 1751 by order of the Qianlong emperor. Both the shape and the decorative motifs are drawn directly from Chinese vases of chased metal. The use of the appellation Japon in this connection is surprising and evidence of a still hazy perception of Asia.