Here, we are dealing with the extremely rare, if not unique, case where Höroldt decorated both sides of the Bourdalou with scenes so captivating that he repeated them on the two mentioned dedication porcelains. Given the superior quality of the painting on our Bourdalou, we consider it to be a work created by Höroldt himself, even without an explicit dedication. Additionally, since our piece was painted in 1725, it could have served as a precursor or inspiration for the dedicated examples.

The dating of the Bourdalou to 1725 is supported by several factors: It is made of Böttger's lime porcelain, which, according to the weekly reports of the Meissen moulders (Boltz, 1980), was only used until 1727. Since no Bourdalous were produced in 1726 and production resumed in 1727 with feldspar porcelain, we can date the piece to 1725. Furthermore, the absence of gold painting within the cartouche suggests that it was made before 1726—the year Höroldt first mastered gold painting—which further supports the dating.

The "Bourdalou" is a discreet night vessel for ladies, designed to manage potential inconveniences. Named after the French Jesuit priest and court preacher Louis Bourdalou (1632–1704), it became popular at the court of Louis XIV. Legend has it that ladies used it to reserve their places in church for his lengthy and captivating sermons. Around 20 years after Bourdalou's death, Meissen began producing this practical yet luxurious item, featuring finely painted Chinoiseries with imaginative and playful scenes.

The early Chinoiserie Bourdalous were produced by Meissen in two variations: an elongated oval and, like ours, a nearly round-oval "pot de chambre." Comparable pieces of the latter can be found in the following collections (all without crossed swords mark):

(1) Bavarian National Museum (Rückert 1966 No. 188, Plate 52); (2) Schneider Collection, Schloss Lustheim, Bavarian National Museum (Schommers 2004, pp. 126-129); (3) Museo Duca di Martina di Napoli (Cat. 1994 No. II4); (4) Albert Gerard Collection, Paris (Drouot 18-23 March 1900 No. 354); (5) H.E. Baker Collection, London (KFS 26/1953, Figs. 1 and 2, Plate I); (6) The Rothschild Collection held a total of four Bourdalous, two of which were nearly oval: aside from ours, see Rothschild II (Christie’s 17 Oct 1977, No. 21)