Fonthill Vase
Encyclopedia
The Fonthill Vase, also called the Gaignières-Fonthill Vase after François Roger de Gaignières
and William Beckford
's Fonthill Abbey
, is a bluish-white Qingbai Chinese porcelain
vase dated to 1300-1340 CE. It is the earliest documented Chinese porcelain object to have reached Europe. The vase was made in Jingdezhen
, China
, and marks the end of the fashion for Qingbai ware
in China before the advent and development of blue and white porcelain, which started in earnest after 1320.
The vase was first part of a collection of Louis the Great of Hungary, who seems to have received it from a Chinese embassy on its way to visiting Pope Benedict XII in 1338. The vase was then mounted with a silver handle and base, transforming it into a ewer and transferred as a gift to his Angevin kinsman Charles III of Naples
in 1381.
Various subsequent owners are known, such as the duc de Berry and the Grand Dauphin (son of Louis XIV). By the end of the 17th century, the vase was in the possession of François Lefebvre de Caumartin
, who let it be represented in watercolor painting by François Roger de Gaignières
in 1713. The vase was later in the possession of William Beckford
at Fonthill Abbey
, and was then sold to John Farquhar
in 1822.
Its silver mounts were removed in the 19th century, and the vase reappeared in 1882 at a sale of Beckford's heirs at Hamilton Palace
without its mount. The vase was then lost to public view until it was rediscovered in the 1950s and acquired for a small sum. The vase is now in the National Museum of Ireland
.
Jean, duc de Berry is also known to have had a similar Chinese porcelain vase in his collection when he died in 1416, although it is unknown how he acquired it. This indicates that "the Gaignieres-Fonthill vase was not the only specimen of its kind [in Europe at the time]".
These vases testify to a lost era of exchanges between China and Europe during Medieval times, which can also be seen in pictorial arts with the adoption of some Chinese stylistic conventions in Western painting, such as in the works of Giotto and his followers.
François Roger de Gaignières
François Roger de Gaignières , French genealogist, antiquary and collector, was the grandson of a merchant at Lyon and the son of Aimé de Gaignières, secretary to the Count of Harcourt, a member of the Elbeuf branch of the House of Guise. In the late 1660s, he was named écuyer to Louis Joseph,...
and William Beckford
William Thomas Beckford
William Thomas Beckford , usually known as William Beckford, was an English novelist, a profligate and consummately knowledgeable art collector and patron of works of decorative art, a critic, travel writer and sometime politician, reputed to be the richest commoner in England...
's Fonthill Abbey
Fonthill Abbey
Fonthill Abbey — also known as Beckford's Folly — was a large Gothic revival country house built around the turn of the 19th century at Fonthill Gifford in Wiltshire, England, at the direction of William Thomas Beckford and architect James Wyatt...
, is a bluish-white Qingbai Chinese porcelain
Chinese porcelain
Chinese ceramic ware shows a continuous development since the pre-dynastic periods, and is one of the most significant forms of Chinese art. China is richly endowed with the raw materials needed for making ceramics. The first types of ceramics were made during the Palaeolithic era...
vase dated to 1300-1340 CE. It is the earliest documented Chinese porcelain object to have reached Europe. The vase was made in Jingdezhen
Jingdezhen
Jingdezhen , is a prefecture-level city, previously a town, in Jiangxi Province, China, with a total population of 1,554,000 . It is known as the "Porcelain Capital" because it has been producing quality pottery for 1700 years. The city has a well-documented history that stretches back over 2000...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, and marks the end of the fashion for Qingbai ware
Qingbai ware
Qingbai ware is a type of pottery made in the Song Dynasty that has a bluish tint to it. It is also referred to as Yingqing ware in modern times....
in China before the advent and development of blue and white porcelain, which started in earnest after 1320.
The vase was first part of a collection of Louis the Great of Hungary, who seems to have received it from a Chinese embassy on its way to visiting Pope Benedict XII in 1338. The vase was then mounted with a silver handle and base, transforming it into a ewer and transferred as a gift to his Angevin kinsman Charles III of Naples
Charles III of Naples
Charles the Short or Charles of Durazzo was King of Naples and titular King of Jerusalem from 1382 to 1386 as Charles III, and King of Hungary from 1385 to 1386 as Charles II. In 1382 Charles created the order of Argonauts of Saint Nicholas...
in 1381.
Various subsequent owners are known, such as the duc de Berry and the Grand Dauphin (son of Louis XIV). By the end of the 17th century, the vase was in the possession of François Lefebvre de Caumartin
François Lefebvre de Caumartin
François Lefebvre de Caumartin or Jean François Paul Lefèvre de Caumartin was a French bishop....
, who let it be represented in watercolor painting by François Roger de Gaignières
François Roger de Gaignières
François Roger de Gaignières , French genealogist, antiquary and collector, was the grandson of a merchant at Lyon and the son of Aimé de Gaignières, secretary to the Count of Harcourt, a member of the Elbeuf branch of the House of Guise. In the late 1660s, he was named écuyer to Louis Joseph,...
in 1713. The vase was later in the possession of William Beckford
William Thomas Beckford
William Thomas Beckford , usually known as William Beckford, was an English novelist, a profligate and consummately knowledgeable art collector and patron of works of decorative art, a critic, travel writer and sometime politician, reputed to be the richest commoner in England...
at Fonthill Abbey
Fonthill Abbey
Fonthill Abbey — also known as Beckford's Folly — was a large Gothic revival country house built around the turn of the 19th century at Fonthill Gifford in Wiltshire, England, at the direction of William Thomas Beckford and architect James Wyatt...
, and was then sold to John Farquhar
John Farquhar (arms dealer)
John Farquhar , was a Scottish millionaire.Farquhar was born of humble parents at Bilbo, parish of Crimond, Aberdeenshire. In early life he went to India as cadet in the Bombay establishment, but soon after his arrival received a dangerous wound in the hip, which seriously affected his health, and...
in 1822.
Its silver mounts were removed in the 19th century, and the vase reappeared in 1882 at a sale of Beckford's heirs at Hamilton Palace
Hamilton Palace
Hamilton Palace was a large country house located north-east of Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. The former seat of the Dukes of Hamilton, it was built in 1695 and subsequently much enlarged. The house was demolished in 1921 due to ground subsidence despite inadequate evidence for that...
without its mount. The vase was then lost to public view until it was rediscovered in the 1950s and acquired for a small sum. The vase is now in the National Museum of Ireland
National Museum of Ireland
The National Museum of Ireland is the national museum in Ireland. It has three branches in Dublin and one in County Mayo, with a strong emphasis on Irish art, culture and natural history.-Archaeology:...
.
Jean, duc de Berry is also known to have had a similar Chinese porcelain vase in his collection when he died in 1416, although it is unknown how he acquired it. This indicates that "the Gaignieres-Fonthill vase was not the only specimen of its kind [in Europe at the time]".
These vases testify to a lost era of exchanges between China and Europe during Medieval times, which can also be seen in pictorial arts with the adoption of some Chinese stylistic conventions in Western painting, such as in the works of Giotto and his followers.