Sparrow hawk, one of a pair

Admiration of Chinese artifacts in the 1700s led to a wave of Asian-French fusion style, which soon dominated interiors throughout Europe. Chinese artisans made this pair of porcelain sparrow hawks. Their counterparts in France later fitted them with gilt-bronze bases of great sophistication. The bases’ Rococo shapes put a French spin on these exotic birds of prey and also connected them to the rest of the domestic interior in which they were placed.