A rare and unusual Sèvres campana vase date code for 1773, painted by Pierre-Nicolas Pithou l'aîné to one side with a panel of fruit including peaches, plums and redcurrants, the reverse with a panel of flowers including rose, cornflower and nasturtium, within gilt foliate borders on a pale blue ground, crowned interlaced Ls mark enclosing date letter U, gilder's mark for Pierre l'aîné, damages, probably lacking a cover, 28.6cm. It is possible that this unusual ground colour is referred to as gris d'agate or bleu d'agate. Louis XV bought a pair of unidentified vases in 1775 with a gris d'agate ground colour, identical to a pair of vases chinois sold previously at 600 livres. The handles appear to be unrecorded elsewhere, but the shape is very similar to the vase momie which had sphinx head handles. Another variant is in the Jones Collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum, Accession No. 767&A-1862. Provenance: purchased in Hungerford on 31st January 1986.