Baluster-shaped bodies with flared rim and base, domed lids with rounded finials. The decoration is consistent across both pieces, with alternating reserves on the body featuring depictions of female figures accompanied by children or cherubs, while the gadrooned reserves in relief on the base contain female portraits. The design is completed by polychrome gadroons and French-style decorative elements outlined in cobalt blue. The two vases belong to a series whose origin and attribution have been the subject of varying interpretations over the years. Similar examples have appeared in private collections, published in the 1970s with attributions first generically and later to the Ligurian school (Morazzoni; Levy 1964), and subsequently to Lombard production in the Lodi area (Conte 1973). All studies, however, agree on the dating, which places them in the first quarter of the 18th century. The attribution to Agostino Ratti, initially proposed by Poggi when similar vases entered the Savona Museums’ collections, is now to be dismissed. Two similar examples, complete with lids, are held in the collections of the Cassa di Risparmio di Savona, while three other vases are preserved in the Museo della Ceramica di Savona, lacking lids and restored after wartime damage. Reference to these latter works is recommended for further study and related bibliography.

Height: 46 cm (18.1 in)
Mouth diameter: 25.5 cm (10 in)
Foot diameter: 18.8 cm (7.4 in)