Pair of French Empire Style Gilt-Porcelain Urns by Dagoty à Paris
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Here we have a decidedly elegant pair: French Empire Style Gilt-Porcelain Urns by Dagoty à Paris. Imagine them flanking a marble mantel in a Paris hôtel particulier around 1815, framing a mirror and reflecting candlelight in their gilded flanks.
These urns belong to the golden age of Paris porcelain, when independent factories vied with Sèvres by marrying neoclassical forms to lavish gilding. The silhouettes are straight out of antiquity—amphora-like bodies, squared plinths, and scrolling handles—but the painted reserves of fruit and flowers give them a warm, domestic charm.
They’re hard-paste porcelain, heavily gilt in both matte and burnished finishes, with hand-painted enamel still lifes on a black ground—technically demanding work. The script mark “Dagoty à Paris” on the base matches known examples from the Empire to early Restoration period.
The surfaces show gentle, even wear to the gilding and expected soiling to the unglazed foot—exactly what we like to see. No obvious chips or cracks appear in the photos, which is impressive for porcelain of this age.
On authenticity, I’d place them around 70 out of 100—strongly convincing as early 19th-century Dagoty, though any serious purchase deserves in-hand confirmation. At auction today, I’d expect this pair to bring in the region of $1,500 to $3,000.
They’re not just vases; they’re a snapshot of Napoleonic taste—classicism with a generous dusting of gold.
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Item Report
Pair of French Empire Style Gilt-Porcelain Urns by Dagoty à Paris
By:Dagoty à Paris (French porcelain factory)
Style:French Empire style, early 19th-century Paris porcelain
Origin:France
Materials:Hard-paste porcelain with matte and burnished gilt decoration and hand-painted enamels
Age:Circa 1810–1825 (Empire to early Restoration period)
Condition:Very good (light, even wear to gilding and surface consistent with age; no obvious chips or cracks visible in photos)
Value:$1,500–$3,000 for the pair at auction
Maker's Marks / Writing:Gilt script “Dagoty à Paris” on underside of base.
Date:2025-11-27 02:25:44.241756
Description:
A matched pair of tall, two-handled porcelain urn vases richly finished in matte and burnished gilding, each on a square plinth base. The baluster bodies bear black cartouches finely painted with colorful still-life bouquets/fruits in the Empire manner. Classical scrolling side handles and restrained neoclassical ornament are gilt in relief. The interiors are white-glazed. The underside is inscribed in gilt script “Dagoty à Paris,” indicating manufacture by the Dagoty Paris porcelain factory, one of the leading early-19th-century Parisian firms competing with Sèvres.
Curator Questions
Curated by Jade
Assessment:
High-quality French Empire style gilt porcelain urns by Dagoty à Paris, with well-executed neoclassical form and skillful hand-painted floral/fruit reserves. The gilding shows some expected light surface wear, consistent with early 19th-century production. The handwritten factory mark aligns with known Dagoty signatures. A word about fakes.. Paris porcelain, especially pieces imitating Sèvres, is frequently reproduced; however, the nuanced matte/burnished gilding, period-appropriate script mark, and subtle wear all argue for genuine early 19th-century manufacture rather than a modern copy. Attractive decorative value and solid collector interest, especially as an intact pair.
Individual Images:
none
Provenance:
Not provided.
Condition:
Very good (light, even wear to gilding and surface consistent with age; no obvious chips or cracks visible in photos)
Identification Score: 93%
Form, decoration, and the “Dagoty à Paris” mark correspond closely to documented Empire-period Paris porcelain urns; the photos are clear enough to be confident about type, maker, and use as mantel or garniture vases.
Authenticity Score: 70%
The gilding, painting style, wear patterns, and hand-scripted Dagoty mark are consistent with circa 1810–1825 Paris porcelain, supporting authenticity. Without in-person inspection of paste, translucency, and base details I remain cautious, hence a conservative 70% rather than higher, given the known market of later reproductions.
Image Memory Note
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Keywords
French Empire style, Dagoty à Paris, gilt porcelain urns, Paris porcelain, neoclassical vases, early 19th century, France
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