Pair French Mennecy Porcelain Jars, Hand Painted, 18th Century

This pair of soft-paste porcelain pomade jars was made at Mennecy in the mid eighteenth century, around 1765. These are rare survivors from one of France’s earliest porcelain factories, and they retain the delicacy and charm that earned Mennecy its remarkable reputation among aristocratic households. Jars of this type were intended for an elegant dressing table, placed among perfumes, powders, and small personal luxuries belonging to an aristocratic lady. The bodies are formed in a gently spiraling fluted shape that catches the light with quiet movement, a hallmark of Mennecy’s refined modeling. Each jar is hand-painted with garden flowers in soft pastel tones, including the distinctive purple rose that appears on both the body and the cover. The painting is fresh and luminous, with the light touch characteristic of Mennecy’s best floral decorators. Each cover rises to a charming strawberry finial modeled with surprising naturalism, a whimsical detail that enlivens the restrained elegance of the form. As expected for Mennecy, the rims are painted in a warm pinkish purple rather than gilded, since gilding was reserved exclusively for Sèvres by royal privilege. Both pieces bear the incised “DV” mark on the underside, identifying the Duc de Villeroy’s factory. Dimensions: height 3.75 inches, diameter 2.35 inches Condition: Excellent Decoration: Hand-painted flowers in pastel tones with strawberry finials Material: Soft-paste porcelain Style: French mid-eighteenth century Origin: Mennecy, France Date: Circa 1765