Germany Encouraging Art and Labour with Peace to Work for the Prosperity of the Empire

Wedgwood

About 1790

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Frieze tablet of solid light blue jasper with applied white jasper relief of three Dancing Hours figures, all on a thing ground.
Vase of bone china in the shape of the First Day's Vase with bulbous body and small foot resting on a small square plinth, with two upright, elongated handles, the flat cover with baluster finial, the vase in the "Aesthetic style" and elaborately decorated on a white ground with two large inward curling scrolls on all four sides in shades of matte olive green, turquoise, and gold, in between are leafy swags extending from orange and gold rectangular reserves above a stylized acanthus leaf element, the lower body in matte olive green with cross hatching and parallel lines in gold, the shoulder of the vase with gold anthemion motifs against a matte olive green ground, the handles gold and the foot decorated with a band of leafy elements in orange and turquoise, a similar band runs around the side of the cover, the top of the cover and the finial in matte olive green highlighted in gold, the square base matte green on the sides and likewise highlighted in gold.
Large vase of creamware and jasperware constructed of seven pieces (plinth, base, foot, body, two handles, neck), the fluted base and square plinth are of blue, white, brown, and beige jasper combined to create a marbled effect, then covered with a lead glaze to resemble green malachite; the yellow foot has a central blue and white band decorated with a wavescroll pattern; the two loop handles are decorated with yellow bands down each side, the central handle has a white ground on both sides decorated with stylized green and yellow leaf-and-berry vines; the neck is likewise yellow highlighted with a repeating star pattern, on either side is a central reserve of a lighter yellow color and outlined with blue foliate motifs, in the middle of each in blue is a tripod urn above two crossed leafy branches, the lip with a blue egg-and-dart pattern; the central ovoid body depicts in monochrome blue the scene of Alexander the Great, accompanied by his friend Hephaestion, entering the tent of the Persian king Darius III after "La tente de Darius" by Charles Le Brun (1619-90) from the “Triumphs of Alexander” series painted between 1662 and 1673 (now in the Louvre). Lessore used as a prototype an engraving by Gérard Edelinck (Flemish, 1640-1707), which was made to complete the series otherwise engraved by Gérald Audran (French, 1640-1703). The painting, which continues around the body of the vase shows on the reverse a landscape typical of Northern Africa.
Frieze tablet of solid light blue jasper with applied white jasper relief decoration of six winged putti, each helping support a laurel leaf garland punctuated with seeded medallions, the left putti is draped with fabric, the center putti is carrying a quiver, and the right putti is carrying a trumpet, the series repeats for a total of six figures standing on a thin ground that extends the length of the panel.