Pair of large, magnificent Meissen decorative vases decorated with lily of the valley and forget-me-nots Baluster-shaped body with tapering shoulder above a flared, round, gilded stand, merging into a narrowed neck with sweeping rim. Above the foot, a dense foliage base with blooming white lily of the valley, merging into flower stems with blue forget-me-nots outlined by vertical gold fields. The shoulder with an ornamental border, the neck with corresponding blossoms. Fine polychrome painting with gold staffage. Decor designed by Ludwig Guner. Model no. 50236, crossed swords mark. H. 47 cm. Born in Dresden, Ludwig Gruner (1801-1882) was initially an apprentice artist and engraver under Carl August Richter. In the course of a remarkable number of stays abroad in Italy, Spain and France, he came to England in the early 1840s, where he was discovered and promoted by the royal family and, as artistic advisor to Prince Albert and Queen Victoria, was instrumental in building up their art collection. Back in Germany, Gruner became director of the Dresden Kupferstichkabinett in 1858 and was appointed professor at the Academy of Fine Arts. His burgeoning interest in garden art was followed by illustrations, such as the lily of the valley decoration for a Meissen service created in 1861, which was awarded a gold medal at the London World Exhibition in 1862. Cf. anniversary collection 2010, 300 years of the Meissen manufactory, pp. 66-67; cat. Bröhan-Museum, V/2, p. 29 (mould). A large splendid pair of porcelain vases finely painted with flower arrangement of lily of the valley and "forget-me-nots" after L. Gruner. Crossed swords mark. Meissen. Circa 2020.