Minton, “De la Chasse au Vin” also known as “Victoria” wine cooler, Circa 1851, polychrome earthenware, Stoke-on-Trent, England

First presented at the 1851 World’s Fair in London, this monumental wine cooler is decorated with a hunting theme. It is the work of French sculptor Pierre-Émile Jeannest. Queen Victoria expressed her admiration for the masterpiece. The freshener is the centerpiece of a dessert service and, according to the reporters of the time, “the most meritorious object in the collection”. It was acquired for display at the South Kensington Museum (now the Victoria and Albert Museum). Other copies were made following the one acquired by the Queen, including our own. Although very close to the royal copy, our freshener contrasts with it through a more vivid, shimmering chromatic palette, whose turquoise background is characteristic of Minton’s work. The iconography and style of this piece allude to the heyday of German porcelain, notably the groups produced by Kändler in Meissen in the mid-18th century. The upper part depicts hunting trophies of foxes and wild boars. In bas-relief, on the belly of the object, are depictions of a wolf being killed and a bear being transported after being shot. Finally, on the terrace, the hunters are depicted in the round, stalking game: they have just captured a doe and a roe deer.