Pair of Covered Vases
A pair of covered vases brings balance and symmetry to a room, offering matched focal points created in porcelain, earthenware, bronze, and marble across centuries of design.
Pair of Covered Vases
When searching for a pair of covered vases, buyers encounter matched vessels designed for symmetry and display, predominantly originating from the nineteenth century alongside eighteenth and seventeenth-century examples.
The selections available range from Japanese Imari and Chinese blue and white ginger jars to European porcelain from factories such as Vienna, Sèvres, Berlin, and Sitzendorf.
Forms span from bulbous floor vases and ovid jars to Neoclassical urns and amphoras, complete with their original lids.
Materials and construction
Potters utilised fine porcelain, tin-glazed earthenware, faience, and ironstone, often enhancing the bodies with hand-painted floral or figural decoration, cobalt blue, and enamel work.
Metal and stone pieces incorporate cast bronze, ormolu mounts, gold leaf, gilding, and Breccia Medicea marble to create ornate architectural silhouettes.
Techniques combine traditional wheel-throwing and mould-pressing with intricate hand-painting, signed artistry, and precision metal mounting.
Pair of Covered Vases Retail Price Guide 2026
Typical asking prices for pair of covered vases among the pieces listed under this phrase on Sellingantiques today, from the lower quarter to the upper quarter. They describe what is for sale here now, not the wider market.
Listings feature covered vases spanning the seventeenth, eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries, incorporating Japanese Imari, French faience, and English ironstone.
Assessing quality in matched lidded vessels
Quality rests upon the crispness of the modelled form, the preservation of original hand-painted or gilt surface details, and the integrity of matching lids.
Superior pairs demonstrate finer artistic execution by named or factory artists, harmonious proportions between the vessel body and its cover, and high-grade ormolu or bronze mounts.
The distinction between standard production and exceptional manufacture shows in the depth of the glaze, the precision of the cobalt or enamel application, and the original pairing of the two matched components.
Jules Moigniez·Sitzendorf·Sceaux Faience·Mason's·F. Koller·Derby·Arita·Coalport·Berlin·Vienna·Sevres·Samson·Augustas Rex·Dresden·Royal Worcester·John Smith·Richard Budd
The Pair of Covered Vases Glossary
- Ormolu
- Gilded bronze mounts applied to decorative vessels and furniture. This technique adds structural accent and decorative richness to porcelain and marble bodies.
- Imari
- A style of Japanese export porcelain decorated in underglaze blue, iron red, gold, and auxiliary colours. It originates from the Arita area and appears widely across historical periods.
- Tin-Glazed Earthenware
- Pottery covered with a glaze containing tin oxide, providing an opaque white surface suitable for painted decoration. Examples include faience and delftware.
- Amphora
- A tall two-handled vessel with a narrow neck, modelled on classical antiquity. These forms frequently appear in Neoclassical decorative arts.
- Cassolette
- A decorative vase or urn featuring a reversible lid that functions either as a solid cover or a burner. They are frequently fashioned from white marble with ormolu mounts.
Pair of Covered Vases: Frequently Asked Questions
Where should I display a pair of covered vases?
These matched vessels suit symmetrical placement on mantelpieces, sideboards, or console tables where their paired form creates visual balance.
Larger floor jars and urns sit directly on the floor or on sturdy pedestals to anchor empty corners in a room.
How do I know if the lids are original?
Original lids match the ceramic body, glaze colour, wear patterns, and decorative style precisely. Closer inspection often reveals identical numbering or matching throwing marks inside the rim.
Replacement lids usually display slight discrepancies in white tone or potting thickness.
Can these vases hold water safely?
Historical lidded vessels, particularly antique porcelain, faience, and cloisonne pieces, function primarily as decorative objects rather than functional flower holders.
Thermal shock and moisture can seep into historic bodies or hairline cracks, so dry display remains the safest practice.
What is the difference between an urn and a vase?
Urns typically feature a footed base, a rounded or tapering body, and often include handles or neoclassical mounts adapted from classical burial or architectural vessels.
Vases encompass a broader category of open-top and lidded containers designed strictly for visual ornamentation.