Ewer: unknown place and date
Mount: Paris, c. 1734-35 

This extremely simple ewer, which stands on a short conical base, has a pear-shaped body that is separated from the high neck by a smooth ring. Only the gently curving handle, which ends in a trilobed form where it joins the body. A combination of the purity of the ewer’s form, the unparalleled texture of the heliotrope jasper and its undeniable age certainly led to the eighteenth-century addition of a magnificent gold mount in the purest rocaille style. The chasing used a model produced by François Boucher and shows a boy reclining on a base of rocks, flowers, shells and scrolls on the top of the lid. The upper part of the handle depicts a goat whose tail extends along the entire length of the handle, while the mount of the foot consists of acanthus and scroll motifs.

Presenting rare or valuable objects in mounts made of precious metals was a practice that dated back to the Renaissance and was associated to collections. However, in the eighteenth century, pieces such as this one were also admired for their decorative appearance and were often called “curiosities” or “picturesque”.