Gilt bronze, a French craft par excellence, was intended both to enrich rare objects, such as the red jasper in this case, and to reflect the style of the time. The fashion appeared in the Régence period and developed most successfully within the decorative exuberance that characterized the reign of Louis XV. Later, Greek and Etruscan-style mounts were added, usually under the guidance of a marchand-mercier. These remarkable pieces, wrought by several hands, illustrate the creative process and the workings of the luxury Parisian decorative arts market in the eighteenth century. They were the result of a close collaboration between ornemanistes, artisans, marchands-merciers and clients. The resulting objets d’art were out of reach for all but a few select clientele, who paid a premium for this sought after and rare commodity. The extreme popularity of the courtly styles of the eighteenth century during the second half of the 1800s revived the art of the bronzier and propelled it into new heights. Craftsmen at the time looked at Rococo models for inspiration and were heavily influenced by the most celebrated bronziers of the Louis XV and XVI eras. The ormolu mounts of this pair of vases reflect the influence of Jean-Claude Chambellan Duplessis. The distinctive and refined design incorporating particularly bold scroll-form handles and neck mounts conceived in the spirit of the rocaille symmétrisée are hallmarks of Duplessis’s oeuvre.
Originally from Italy, in 1735 Duplessis moved to Paris, where he stayed at the Hôtel de Soissons with the Prince de Carignan, who undoubtedly facilitated Duplessis's access to accommodation at the Louvre from 1749 on. From 1748 until his death, he designed most of the models for the Manufacture de Vincennes and later for the porcelain manufactory at Sèvres, where he was artistic director. Duplessis enjoyed the protection of the minister d’Argenson and could work both in bronze and gold, even before he became orfèvre du roi in 1758, as shown by the remarkable braziers given by Louis XV to the Ottoman ambassador Mehmed Said Efendi in 1742, now in the Topkapi Museum, Istanbul. From then on Duplessis created mounts for both French porcelain produced at Sèvres and for Chinese porcelain vases. He created his most ambitious and highly original works in in collaboration with the famous marchand-mercier Lazare Duvaux.