Vase

A decorative vase with handles in the shape of figures of young men with fish tails is an elements belonging to an entire collection of sculptures brought to Wilanów by August Potocki around 1858. Up to this day, 3 identical vases have remained in the Wilanów collection. Two of them flank the stone bench in the Grove of Akademos and one is stored in the Sculpture Pavilion. Originally, there were probably 6 such vases and they were placed on the balustrade of the eastern terrace of the Wilanów Palace by Countess Aleksandra Potocka.

From the preserved archival materials we learn that the objects were produced at the Ernst March's Earthenware Factory in Charlottenburg. Initially, the company specialized in the production of dishes for the food industry, flower pots and decorative vases. In 1840s, the main part of the production included architectural ceramics, i.e. capitals, ornaments, balustrades, as well as figures and garden vases. The material the vases are made of is characterized by high frost resistance and high resistance to moss and lichen colonization. It was often used in architecture by such architects as Karl Friedrich Schinkel, Friedrich Ludwig Persius and Ludwig Ferdinand Hesse, and in the garden sculpture it was used by Christian Daniel Rauch.

Most of the figural sculptures, vases and elements of small garden architecture from Charlottenburg were placed in the Rose Garden. They include four allegorical sculptures (Beekeeping, Farming, Fishing, Harmony), two pairs of putti which flank the stairs to the pergola (the originals are displayed in the sculpture pavilion), two statues of dogs and a statue of Victoria.

The selection of themes of the sculptures, as well as their placement in the garden adjacent to the private apartments of the Potocki family, not only indicates their in-depth knowledge of the latest trends in the sculpting art at the time, but also reflects the personal preferences of the owners of the residence.