Featured Is this really a 19th c. Maxart piece?

Hi, This looks handpainted to me and the signature is Maxant, from what I can tell. Researching his stuff leads me to believe that this is possibly from the 19th century. With so many copies and fakes, I am asking here if anyone thinks this is authentic and really as old as I think it might be. What would the hole in the back (last pic) be for? I could not get any part of it to unscrew. It is approx 16" tall. What do I call it? All I can think of is an urn but the top does not come off. Thank you for any help

 

Could it have been wired for a lamp?

 

I wondered that but then I couldn't figure out where the rest of it would go or how they would thread it anywhere I do see a few examples of his stuff in lamp form so...

 

The acorn ? finial does look a little forced....

 

It looks handpainted to me too. Very pretty picture.

 

I can't believe a fake could be so good. The painting is lovely. It's a bit fancy for my taste, but it reeks of class in my very humble opinion. My bet is genuine article -- the painting at least.

 

They call this one a lidded vase. Georges Maxant exhibited in the Paris World's Fair of 1900. https://www.dorotheum.com/en/auctio...le-of-wagram-1809-with-gilt-bronze-mount.html
The only thought I have about the hole is that the base could have been replaced. I didn't go back and compare it to the other bases.

 

That is a lamp base and that top finial looks like a modern lamp finial. You can still buy this exact one today. This has to come apart.

 

I didn't know about Maxant until this post so please keep that in mind. Even before I explored Maxant I had the same problem as Komokwa - namely that finial. It just seems out of sync with the rest of the vase. As Brad noted you can still get that finial today and that pineapple style has been around forever.

Frankly, I'm not that crazy about the metal base either. But on viewing other Maxant examples on Google search it seems a lot of their urns have those pineapple finials. What I suspect (and again, I'm not real familiar with Maxant), is that Maxant produced handpainted lamp/urn parts which other companies combined with accent porcelain and all the metal work. It would have let Maxant concentrate on their handpainted pieces without having to worry about the final product. The companies that produced the final product could make urns, lamps, whatever, and use the Maxant name to try to denote quality. I would have urged using better quality metal parts but no one asked me.

Brad is also correct in that thing has to come apart somehow. Most likely by loosening the bolt at the bottom (sometimes these are referred to as bolted urns). But I'm not sure taking it apart will help much and may not be worth the potential damage to the urn.

Personally, I think the Maxant part is indeed genuine. 19th century? Probably not in this form at least. I don't know when electric lamps came into common usage but I'm pretty sure it wasn't anywhere near that early. Whether it was this form originally is anybody's guess.
Don

 

It's a lovely painted vase, although her left arm is at a very weird angle (to ME!).... the base looks like a replacement that maybe someone was thinking of converting the piece to a lamp.....but this isn't also my 'neck of the woods'!!!! Still lovely piece!!!!

 

I think Don's assessment is spot on, thanks!

 

Based on a painting by Francoise Boucher:



https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/essay/love-among-the-ruins-two-pastorals-by-francois-boucher/

 

Good Job Bob!

 

Nice find on the scene!!! Ok, I will do more research to determine how to list this piece. It came fairly cheap and I thought it was a beauty. Someone will love to have it, I bet! Thank you, everyone, for the help!!