Minton Manufactory, Pair of Chinese bottle without collar, Circa 1866, glazed ceramic, Stoke-on-Trent, England

This stunning pair of vases was created in Stoke-on-Trent, England, at the famous Minton factory. The model is known as the “Chinese bottle” in the factory’s inventory of shapes. A similar pair, decorated with a yellow collar, was exhibited at the 1876 Philadelphia World’s Fair in the booth of A.B. Daniell & Son. Christopher Dresser is said to have designed this “Chinese bottle” vase for the London International Exhibition in 1862, probably first produced in a small size. Two drawings attributed to Dresser confirm this attribution. A perfect alchemy of China, Persia and the French Renaissance, these Chinese bottles testify to the originality and inventiveness deployed by Western ceramists to gain recognition on the international scene and compete with their rivals.