Pair of Lidded Jars

The painted decoration on the Chinese porcelain of these mounted jars represents the phoenix flying through flowers, symbolic of prosperity and nobility. French craftsmen transformed these jars into a more conventional Western shape by placing the porcelain in gilt-bronze mounts, including handles and a knob. The porcelain would have been valued purely for its decoration. The handles are designed in the form of dragons, a motif associated with China and Japan.