How many vases make a garniture?

Three or five is the usual count, with a taller covered vase in the centre and smaller ones either side. Sets of four turn up as well. Six titles on Sellingantiques specify five vases, several of them Delft with original lids, and one a five-piece Imari-pattern set of early 18th-century design.

Why are pairs listed under garnitures?

The heading covers matched pairs as well as three- and five-piece sets. Around a quarter of titles say "pair". Those pairs run to lidded French porcelain, Vienna-style amphora forms, bronze on siena marble bases and marble vases converted to lamps.

What are garniture vases usually made from?

Ceramic, in the bulk of cases. Porcelain is named in a good many titles, and Japanese Imari, Satsuma, Delft and English ironstone all appear. The exceptions are few. Out of forty-two listings, three are not ceramic: a Bohemian glass garniture, a bronze pair and a marble pair.

Which countries do these sets come from?

Japan is the commonest named origin, and Imari the commonest named palette. Dutch and English Delft accounts for six titles. China appears only twice, both sets in the upper half of the range. France, Austria and England fill out the rest.

Are garniture vases common on the market?

Not especially. Around five come to market on Sellingantiques in a year. Nineteen different dealers have listed them, close to one dealer per listing, so the category isn't held by a single seller.

What does a composite garniture mean?

It means the set was put together from vases that were not made as a group, matched later for shape, palette or size. One title in this category uses the word, describing a five-vase Imari garniture.