Pair of 19th Century French Porcelain Spill Vases with Hand-painted Drinking Scenes

This is a stunning example of a pair of porcelain spill vases, probably French in origin and dating to the second half of the 19th century.

Each spill vase has an everted rim above two fine circumferential ridges. These surmount the central cylindrical section, which flares out at the base. Below this are three winged lion-head and gilded paw motifs that mount it to the waisted discoid base.

They are gilded all over, from the rim to the base of the central column. The latter has been hand-painted on one side with a cartouche containing a drinking scene, and on the other side is a floral sprig. The drinking scenes vary, but the floral sprigs are a mirror image of one another.

The base is plain and incised with a cursive ‘Lg’ mark.

Each vase has a height of approximately 13.7cm, with a diameter across the rim of about 7.0cm and across the base of about 6.9cm.

They have an unwrapped weight of 510g.

They are in good condition, although there is one small (6mm) chip on the bottom of one vase. The gilding is also quite rubbed in places, although this adds a nice patina to them both.