Firmin-Marcelin Michelet French Art Nouveau "Four Seasons" sculpted vase c. 1900
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Firmin-Marcelin Michelet French Art Nouveau “Four Seasons” sculpted vase c. 1900
FIRMIN-MARCELIN MICHELET Sculptor (1875-1951) France
GENTIL ET BOURDET [pottery]
“Four Seasons” vase c. 1900
Glazed stoneware in a cream color with tan and light brown highlights molded with four female profiles and corresponding floral branches below representing the “Four Seasons” of the year
Marks: F. Michelet (underglaze), Gentil et Bourdet Architectes Ceramistes
Another example of this vase is in the collection of the Brighton Museum Brighton, England
Exhibited: French Art Nouveau from English Collections, City of Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, 1977, Cat. No. B7.
Illustrated: Art Nouveau, Art Deco and the Thirties; The Ceramic, Glass and Metalwork Collections at Brighton Museum (Brighton: The Royal Pavillion, 1986)cat. no. 41, p. 22.
For more information on Firmin-Marcellin Michelet see: Étains 1900:
200 Sculptures de la Belle Époque, Philippe Dahhan (Paris: Les Éditions de l’Amateur, 2000), p. 274.
Christopher Dresser / Linthorpe Art Pottery Rare Aesthetic Movement “Gourd” Vase 1879-1882
CHRISTOPHER DRESSER (1834-1904) UK
LINTHORPE ART POTTERY, Middlesbrough
HENRY TOOTH Artistic Manager Linthorpe (1842-1918) UK
“Gourd Vase” 1879-1882
Glazed Earthenware
***Extremely rare Dresser / Linthorpe model.
Marked: LINTHORPE, Chr. Dresser (facsimile signature) HT, no. 326
Illustrated: Christopher Dresser: Truth, Beauty, Power exh. cat. (New York: Historical Design, 1998) p.75; illustrated in two drawings for gourd vases in Dresser’s 1881 design and account book under heading “Aug. 29, 1881. Sent to J. Harrison Esq. 41 Designs for Linthorpe.”
H: 7 3/4″
The contrasts in Dresser’s designs for different materials showed how his approach to design was also shaped by the properties and nature of a material. In 1879 Dresser was appointed art director at the newly established Linthorpe pottery, near Middlesbrough. Founded by John Harrison, a local businessman, the pottery’s aim was to use local clay to provide jobs for local men. Dresser’s design for the moulds for the pottery were inspired by a wide range of cultures from Japan, Peru, Mexico, Morocco and Ancient British forms. These very striking pieces, with the metal oxides in the complex and innovative glazes providing the only decoration. All of his designs were impressed with a facsimile signature. When Linthorpe closed in 1889, its moulds were acquired by a rival, Ault Pottery in Derbyshire. In 1893, Dresser signed a contract with Ault for new designs specifying that each pot should be marked with his facsimile signature.
Silver-plated copper with with red patinated squares and rectangles on a black-patinated textured background
Marks: WMF castle mark, IKORA
Illustrated: WMF Ikora Metall / Metalwork, Carlo Burschel and Heinz Scheiffele (Stuttgart, Germany: ARNOLDSCHE, 2006), p. 142, 90/585.
For more information see: WMF Glas Keramik Metall 1925-1950, Jörg Schwandt, (Berlin: Kunstgewerbemuseum, Staatliche Museum Preussischer Kulturbesitz, 1981). Metallkunst, Band IV (Berlin: Bröhan-Museum, 1981) pp. 546-579.
Sèvres / Genevieve Rault Rare French Art Nouveau grand vase 1907
MLLE GENEVIÈVE RAULT (décor 1907) France
MANUFACTURE NATIONALE DE SÈVRES France
Andromeda branches grand vase 1907
Glazed porcelain with pâte-sur-pâte applications. The multicolored “Andromeda” foliage and branches in shades of pink, salmon, green and taupe on a cream background.
Marks: underglaze green S and 1907 (in triangular cipher), MANUFACTURE RF NATIONALE surrounding DÉCORÉ A SÈVRES 1907, underglaze blue GR (conjoined monogram).
H: 16″ x Dia: 7 1/2″
This example from the Sèvres Manufacture is a tour-de-force of early 20th century porcelain. The graphic Art Nouveau design of the pastel foliage and white blossoms of the Andromeda vase is brought to life thanks to the fine detailing of every individual blossom made with hand-applied pâte-sur-pâte or paste porcelain.
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