Yves Saint Laurent Pierre Bergé - Christie's

184
A Rock Crystal Vase
Found almost exclusively in royal courts, the present rock crystal vase appears
to be one of only seven of this form in existence today. Known in French as a
pot à bouquet, it represents a type developed in Milan at the end of the 16th century.
A closely comparable example is to be found in the Musée du Louvre, Paris.
Engraved on the underside of the foot is the number ‘188’, which corresponds to an
inventory of the French Royal collection of 1791. The present vase seems to
have entered the royal collection in the 18th century and was among those
items ceded to Jacques de Chapeaurouge as part payment for debts incurred
by the revolutionary government.
A silver-gilt- and ruby-mounted rock crystal vase, Milanese, late 16th century or early 17th century
6 1 ⁄2 in. (16.2 cm.) high, the rim 5 1 ⁄2 in. (14 cm.), the body 4 in. (10 cm.) wide. Estimate: 3100,000–150,000
Louis XVI (1754–93), oil on canvas, by Antoine Francois Callet (1741–1823)
Château de Versailles, France/ The Bridgeman Art Library