Luigi Valadier (1726–1785)
Pair of Vases for Madame Du Barry, 1773
Statuary marble, porphyry, and gilt bronze
20 3/4 x 14 1/4 in. (52.5 x 36 cm) (each)
Mobilier National, on deposit at the Musée National des Châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon
© RMN-Grand Palais / Art Resource, NY; photo Gérard Blot http://www.chateauversailles.fr/
The form of this pair of vases is based on the Medici Vase (Uffizi Galleries, Florence). In white marble and porphyry, with gilt-bronze reliefs following ancient models, the vases were created for Jeanne Bécu, Madame Du Barry (1743–1793), the mistress of King Louis XV of France. They were delivered to her in Paris, from Rome, in May 1773.