Vase 1780 - 1800

This porcelain vase was produced by the Le Nove Porcelain Manufactory, near Venice, Italy. Notice the classical urn shape, the cherubic figures supporting the body, and the Neoclassical painted scene depicting the Piazza San Marco. The Manufactory was founded in 1728, but it was under the direction of Giovanni Battista Antonibon in the late 1700s that it became widely celebrated. With the decline of the Venetian Republic, wealthy landowners on the mainland began to fill the gap in the patronage of the arts. The Antonibon family seized the opportunity to provide luxury goods that reflected the elite taste for classical art and ancient history. They also made popular figurines of peasants and tradespeople who populated the Venetian mainland. The vase reflects the social and economic forces at play in the region. To gain a deeper understanding of the vase, one could research the tastes and fashions of the Venetian mainland elite, and the history of the Antonibon family.