Soft-paste Vincennes/Sèvres porcelain milk jug. White ground with thick spiralling green-ground ribbons alternating with polychrome trails of flowers (roses, convolvulus, narcissi, cornflowers, tulips) applied diagonally and edged with stylised gilded husk trails and gilding. Pear shape with carnation knob fitted to the double-bowed cover.

Floral forms and decoration dominated the output of the porcelain manufactory founded at Vincennes c.1740. In 1756, the factory moved to Sèvres, and by the 1760s it had perfected its renowned ceramic recipe. In its earliest stage at Vincennes, the factory began to produce porcelain flowers that were easily applied to decorative ware, including tea services.

Text adapted from Painting Paradise: The Art of the Garden, London, 2015.