A pair of unusual late 18th century gilt bronze and white opaque glass cassolettes
The gilt bronze mounts perhaps English in the French taste, the glass in the manner of James Keir, circa 1790
The ovoid bodies on shaped and tapering milled tripod supports with scrolling foliate finials and corresponding lower girdles terminating in hoof feet above a further central canted foliate baluster slender support, the upper milled girdles to the rims united by beaded tassel hung chains, the domed covers with pierced foliate collars and fruiting knopped finials reversing to foliate milled banded swept candle nozzles, the stepped circular bases with beaded borders,

24cm high (2)
Footnotes:
A comparable gilt bronze mounted vase by Matthew Boulton with a similar opaque glass body by James Keir dated to circa 1770 is with Thomas Coulborn & Sons, Sutton Coldfield. This vase conforms to a vase sketch numbered 1241 in the original Boulton and Fothergill pattern book and is illustrated in Sir Nicolas Goodison's reference 'Matthew Boulton: ORMOLU' plate 294, p. 311, London, 2002. In the book, Goodison notes that although blue john took perhaps the most prominent role for the material's used for vases, Boulton also wrote a list of suitable vases bodies in 1769 which included 'Glass blew and other colours' (see p.48). Goodison also writes that several of the other vase bodies were bought from specialist producers and included an order for 'twenty-four glass vases from James Keir in 1772, twelve in each of two moulds.'

Scottish born James Keir (1735-1820) was a chemist, geologist, industrialist, and inventor, and also an important member of the Birmingham Lunar Society. He was part of group which leased a long-established glassworks at Amblecote near Stourbridge, which he managed. Whilst there, Keir continued his chemical experiments and he also became friends with Matthew Boulton. In the autumn of 1768 he was subsequently commissioned by Boulton to produce glass bodies for vases and he was also offered a partnership by Boulton and Fothergill but declined' (see also p. 48).

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