Lidded vase c. 1785

This lidded vase was made by fabriek Leperre-Durot out of faience. The vase is adorned with rococo ornamentation, including a crown on its lid and golden handles in the shape of birds. This object creates meaning through its status as an emblem of wealth and prestige, typical of the period in which it was made. Though we do not have an exact date for the vase, Leperre-Durot produced faience in the late 18th century, a moment when the French aristocracy used objects like this to display its power and status. Motifs such as crowns, architectural scenes, and gold leaf tap into cultural associations with royalty and the elite. The vase appears to be self-consciously conservative, given that it appropriates imagery associated with the Old Regime shortly before the French Revolution. To understand this vase better, historians would research the social conditions and visual culture of 18th-century France, noting its particular class dynamics and artistic institutions. Art becomes meaningful through its relation to social and institutional contexts.