Vase

Derby Porcelain Factory

c. 1758–69

Painted and gilded porcelain

Minneapolis Institute of Art

A white porcelain vase with a ruffled rim and a swan-like handle is decorated with floral motifs and gilded accents. The vase has a fluted neck and a flared base with light blue and pink accents. With vases such as this, English potteries copied the height of French Rococo style—so called because the ornament suggests broken shells or rockwork (rocaille in French). In the most extreme examples, the decoration dictated the vessel’s shape. You can see that happening here. Constructed from molded leaf forms that sweep up and down, the asymmetrical vase seems almost to be moving or swaying in the breeze. Gallery G324 Gift of funds from the Decorative Arts Council in memory of Walter Briggs