A George III gilt-bronze mounted Blue-John 'Queen Charlotte Pattern' perfume burner circa 1770, by Matthew Boulton and probably to a design by Sir William Chambers

the main body with a pair of masks, above a stepped base veneered with glass decorated to simulate agate, mounted with swags and supported by sphinxes, the whole on a further pierced foliate-decorated ebonised block base, the main body damaged and repaired, possibly lacking a pair of gilt-bronze masks and a border of guilloche

Sotheby Parke-Bernet, New York, 14 January 1978, lot 22, where it was offered after a pair (lot 21) that were of smaller proportions and ensuite.

An elegant piece and a good example of Boultons work. The mounts are generally good but display signs of tarnishing. There is some slight discolouration in places. The piece may well lack two masks which adorm the body of the vase and below them a band of guilloche may well lack when compared to similar - although it is not possible to be definitive about this. The hardstone lid with a crack visible betwen two acanthus leaves and at the edge. The main vase has been damaged and has evidence of old repairs with areas that have been glued and crudely filled. The stem has repairs too and also areas of filler, most notably to moulded detail. There are chips and cracks to the glass veneers on the base. The scrolled foliate pierced mounts with some discolouration and lifting. There are also cracks to the ebonised and veneered block base. It would benefir from a clean and tightening
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Matthew Boulton (1728- 1809) and James Fothergill (d.1782) founded their extraordinary factory in Soho, Staffordshire in 1761. They produced an exemplary body of work illustrative of Boulton’s innovation as an engineer, entrepreneur and the level of patronage that he received.

At the cutting edge of artistic endeavour, he was part of a circle which included luminaries such as Josiah Wedgwood, Robert Adam, Sir William Chambers and James Watt, all of whom who had great bearing on his work.

The offered lot is important in that it relates to series of ‘Sphinx’ vases, sometimes called the ‘Queen Charlotte Pattern’ produced by him directly for George III and Queen Charlotte, two pairs are in the Royal Collection (inventory numbers 21668 and 6095) and illustrated in Nicholas Goodison, Matthew Boulton: Ormolu, London, 1974, figs 353 and 356. The actual design may well be by the legendry Royal architect Sir William Chambers (1726-1796), see John Harris and Michael Snodin, Sir William Chambers, London, 1997, pl. 235. It was Chambers who was to introduce Boulton to the Royal household (Goodison, op. cit., p. 351). The commission was a success, with one vase being exhibited by Boulton at the Royal Academy in 1770; ‘executed in ormolu, by Mr Boulton, for their Majesties’. This exposure to a wealthy and artistic milieu; exactly the sort of potential collectors that Boulton desired, gave him the confidence to produce further vases in the series, a further thirteen of which are documented (Harris and Snodin, op. cit. p. 158).

Within the group there are variations, notably of how the Blue John is deployed, with the mounts and the glass veneers utilised in the plinth. This decorative detail, like so much of Boulton’s output demonstrates great ingenuity; glass is used as opposed to hardstone and in this instance painted creamy white and a rich brown to look like a fine agate. Other vases use blue and gold to simulate lapis lazuli and other treatments to this veneered area produce similar exotic effects. The basic form of a ‘campana vase’ reflects an 18^th century love and understanding of ‘the antique’ with archaeological discoveries of the time adding to this desire for classical form, this is reinforced by the mounts all of which may have been as result of Chambers' spell training on the Continent as an architect (drawing in his notebook, sphinxes when in Paris and Rome in the 1750s).

For an almost identical pair see Christie's London, 28 June 1984, Lot 4, and another pair these rooms, July 11, 1986, Lot 17 and for a single example see Christie’s London, A Celebration of Hotspur and Jeremy, 20 November 2008, Lot 30 (sold hammer with premium £103,250).