Pair of Boxes

Saint-Cloud Porcelain Manufactory

about 1730–1735

Soft-paste porcelain with glaze, Soft-paste porcelain

J. Paul Getty Museum

Each box is in the form of a kneeling man resting on crossed arms while supporting a large basket of flowers on his back. The grinning figures have large ears and noses, are barefoot and dressed in loose fitting robes with their hands concealed by the long sleeves. The top floral sections of the baskets are separate pieces that serve as lids for the individual boxes, each being unique. While the Saint-Cloud manufactory introduced a number of free-standing “chinoisierie” (Asian-inspired) figurines, this pair of boxes is the only known example of this whimsical form. They were likely used as part of a toilet service to be displayed on