The art of Richard Ginori: Made from bright porcelain, this large Jardinière has a frieze covering its body, which is a decorative reworking of The Triumph of Galatea in bronze, made at the end of the eighteenth century by Late-Baroque Florentine sculptor Massimiliano Soldani Benzi. The moulded upper part, meanwhile, reflects the sobriety typical of the nineteenth century. The theme of the decoration is The Triumph of Venus and Love. The vibrant eccentricity of the curving movements of the decoration on the vase body contrasts with the solemn stillness of the winged figures, which stretch out like figureheads on a ship. The invention of the jardinière can be traced back to 1890-1900. It is a work of significant artistic value that transforms the difficult marriage of two elements from stylistically distant and contrasting cultures into a harmonious and balanced final piece.