Rare and beautiful Sevres pate-sur-pate porcelain vase awarded to gold medal winners at the 1924 Paris Summer Olympics, measuring approximately 13″ tall and 5.5″ at its widest point. Designed by M. O. Guillonet and executed by Bracquemond at the world-famous porcelain factory of Sevres, this splendid vase features golden laurel branches hand-painted on a French-blue background. The middle body bears four 'medallions' portraying athletes in white against gray oval backgrounds bordered in light green, with the events depicted being sailing, shooting, tennis, and cycling. The bottom bears the appropriate maker’s marks.
At the suggestion of the French Olympic Committee, these vases were developed to be given to the first-place winners as a 'special souvenir.' Several different variations were produced to accommodate the many different sports, and they were presented by the Paris City Council to gold medal winners in individual events only; a small number were reserved for dignitaries and institutions. Surviving examples of these stunning trophy vases are of the utmost rarity.
