Vase (one of a pair)

Overview Vase (one of a pair) Manufactory Belvedere Manufactory Polish ca. 1775 On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 533 This pair of vases demonstrates the ambitious forms made at the short-lived Belvedere faience factory in Warsaw. Established by Stanislas II Augustus Poniatowski (1732-1798), king of Poland, the factory specialized in diplomatic services and ornamental vases. At a time when neoclassical motifs became fashionable at major European courts, this Warsaw factory experimented with earlier motifs inspired by Asian porcelain. The result on this pair of vases is a unique design that combines organic tree forms with a startling geometric pattern in blue and gold.