A PAIR OF MINTONS PÂTE-SUR-PÂTE TWO-HANDLED LARGE VASES CIRCA 1885

by Marc Louis Solon, signed L. Solon, each finely decorated in white on an olive green ground, the first with a figure of Minerva standing before a temple, the reverse with Cupid wearing a laurel wreath and standing on a pedestal, and the second with a maiden before a beacon turning a capstan, Cupid anchored on a cloud on the reverse, gilt printed crowned globe MINTONS mark.

Vase on the left in the catalogue illustration: the handle on the right has been off where it joins the body and glued back; there is a tiny 1/8-in. or less chip to a gilt 'bead' on the rim edge and some very minor, very occasional wear to the gilding of the rim, foot and tops of the handles. Vase on the right: the handle on the right has been broken in two places, across the top and bottom of the vertical portions, and glued back; just under 1/2 of the foot has been broken out of the front in two pieces and glued back, with a small chip/loss at the junction of the breaks visible on the underside; there is a tiny 1/8-in or less chip to a gilt 'bead' on the rim edge; there is a 1/4 x 1/4-in. flake to the gilt band around the base of the foot and some additional very minor, very occasional wear to the gilding on the rim and foot.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

A pair of vases of identical form and signed L. Solon, with impressed shape number 2076 and year cypher for 1885, was sold in these rooms, April 14, 2008, lot 43, and a single vase of the same form, also decorated by Solon, however impressed with shape number 2075 and date cypher for 1881, was sold at Sotheby Parke Bernet Inc., January 23, 1981, lot 323. Another pair of  vases, with impressed shape number 1653, raised on square bases but otherwise identical in form to the present examples was sold at Christie's, New York, October 24, 2006, lot 142. Joan Jones lists, in Minton, The First Two Hundred Years of Design and Production, p. 338, Appendix C, the titled subjects of a number of vases decorated by Solon with either shape number 1653 or 2075, none of which, however, adequately describe the decoration of the present examples. While the first vase clearly depicts the struggle of Wisdom or Reason against the forces of Love, the allegory of the second is less apparent but seems to represent the Search for and Capture of Love.