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Pitcher and Basin
(18th and 19th Centuries )
The late 18th-century interest in classical antiquity gave birth to the Empire style, which was named after the empire of Napoleon I of France (r. 1804-1814). The style remained in fashion in Europe and America until the 1840s. Its decorative motifs and forms were derived from antiquity, especially from the early Roman Empire. The pitcher is in the shape of an ancient Greek "oinochoe," or wine ewer. Empire decorative arts tended to appear sumptuous, as demonstrated by these lavishly gilded porcelains.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Alexandre Polovtsoff (Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Polovtsov), Paris; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1930, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Geographies
Russia, St. Petersburg (Place of Origin)
Measurements
basin: 3 9/16 x 13 1/2 in. (9 x 34.3 cm);
pitcher: 11 1/8 in. (28.2 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters, 1930
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
VO.29 (48.964, 48.965)