A pair of monumental Sèvres porcelain vases Ormolu-mounted, green-ground, baluster form with covers and acorn finials Bearing on the obverse, raised gilt ciphers the French emperor and empress Napoleon Bonaparte and Josephine de Beauharnais Each 'N' and 'J' within berried laurel branches; surmounted with the imperial crown and flanked with scrolls and lotus blossoms, eagles and cornucopias Adorned with Egyptian term gilt bronze handles in French Egyptian revival style or the Retour d'Egypte The reverse with an armorial wreath, above applied lotus blossoms Lids with a pseudo red mark Sèvres "M. Imple de Sèvres" French, Third Republic, 1890-1900 Height: 76 cm (30")

The rocaille mounts are directly inspired by a 1786 vases, currently at the Louvre Museum under the inventory number OA 5213, supplied for Mesdames Adélaide and Victoire, daughters of Louis XV