RARE PORCELAIN FLOWER BULB POT (CAISSE À OIGNONS) - French Hard-Paste Porcelain - Attributed to a Paris Manufactory - 18th Century
2776 / MNS - LIS
VENDUE
    Delivery time:3-5 jours
  • Description


RARE PORCELAIN FLOWER BULB POT (CAISSE À OIGNONS)

French Hard-Paste Porcelain

Attributed to a Paris Manufactory

f truncated conical form with rounded corners, resting on a slight foot rim. The body, with straight sides gently flaring towards the top, is fitted with two ring-shaped side handles attached by moulded mounts. The upper section is closed by a fitted cover plate pierced with a central circular opening intended to receive a flower bulb.

Hard-paste porcelain.

Decorated on a white ground, the body is adorned with an evenly distributed pattern of rose bouquets interspersed with small gilt leafy motifs. The upper section is highlighted by a broad band decorated with a garland of leafy roses. The whole is enhanced with gilt bands along the borders and body, while the ring-shaped side handles are entirely gilded.


Marks : None.

Dimensions : Length: 11 cm – Height: 8.8 cm.

Condition : VERY GOOD CONDITION – Minute restoration to one of the handles (invisible to the naked eye).

Period : 18th Century – Louis XVI Period.

Remarks : Minor wear consistent with age and use. Firing flaws to the upper cover plate.

A flower bulb pot, also known as a bulb planter or bulb box, was designed for the indoor cultivation of flowering bulbs, particularly during the winter months. It was primarily used for early-flowering bulbs such as hyacinths, narcissi, and, more rarely, tulips, allowing blooms to be forced out of season and enjoyed indoors.

The vessel, generally broad and shallow, is fitted with a pierced cover designed to hold the bulbs securely in place while the roots develop in water or a moist substrate below. The central aperture was intended to accommodate a principal bulb, most often a hyacinth. As such, this type of object occupies an intermediate position between traditional pot cultivation and water culture, much like the well-known hyacinth vase.

Beyond their practical function, these pieces were also conceived as decorative objects, frequently used as table centrepieces or interior ornaments. The historical French term oignon (“onion”) simply referred to a bulb, as preserved today in expressions such as tulip bulb.