PARIS Large ovoid porcelain vase resting on a pedestal with two scrolled handles resting on a cornucopia with fruits ending with two gold swans and placed on women masks. On one side, a frieze with antique decoration in trompe-l'oeil imitation of the cameo, below the inscription "Achilles discovered by Ulysses" after an engraving by Jean-Guillaume Moitte (1747-1810). On the other side, a profile of Achilles helmeted in gold amati in a medallion standing out on a dark blue background enhanced by a crown of palms and warrior attributes, helmet, sword, shield and spear. At the neck, frieze of palms in relief. At the base, frieze of acanthus leaves and foliage in relief. Base with gold background. First quarter of the 19th century (Shock inside the star-shaped neck with cracks. Inside the body, we can see the two fasteners for each handle that required the piercing of the body. One handle repaired on the left side and repainting at the handle attachment. Gold wear to the ring of the pedestal attachment. Gold wear to the base on all edges). Height Height : 73,5 cm Cf : The scene illustrates a passage from the youth of Achilles, told in Ovid's Metamorphoses, (XIII,161-169) and in an epic poem by Stace dedicated to Achilles, published in 1616. In Greek mythology, Achilles, son of the nymph Thetis and King Peleus, is a hero of the Trojan War told in the Iliad. His mother refused to let him participate in the Trojan War. She hides her son by disguising him as a girl. Ulysses, another hero of the myth having been informed of the deception, tricks to discover his identity because Achilles must participate in this war alongside the Greeks. This is the episode represented here. Disguised as a merchant, Ulysses in the center presents a chest with fabrics and jewels to the daughters of Lycomedes, king of Skyros, in which is hidden the sword. He is then the only one to prefer weapons to fabrics and jewels, his warrior instinct revealing his imposture. Achilles is represented here brandishing a sword, armed with a shield and wearing a helmet. He then accompanies Odysseus to the war to fight against the Trojans with his friend Patroclus. This composition can be found on prints by Ridé, taken from the work of the sculptor Jean-Guillaume Moitte (1747-1810). Cameo painting The idea of imitating the cameo for porcelain decorations goes back to the 18th century with the service delivered by the Sèvres factory for Catherine II of Russia. This decoration evoking a taste for Antiquity continued under the Empire until about 1850, and developed both in Sèvres and in the Parisian manufactures. Among the painters who represented this decoration, let us quote in particular Jean-Marie Degault, Louis-Bertin Parant, Antoine Béranger, Jean Georget, Piat Joseph Sauvage or Charles-Antoine Didier... Cf : Catherine Trouvet, " La production de vases sous l'Empire ", in Napoléon Ier et la manufacture de Sèvres, Paris, Feu et Talent, 2016, p. 175-208. Cf : Musée de Grenoble for a Flemish drawing by Jan Van Boeckhorst XVIIth (inv 3562 N°2173) representing this scene.