Product Description
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.
H: 13 1/2″ x Dia: 7 1/4″
Price: $7,500
Firmin-Marcelin Michelet French Art Nouveau “Four Seasons” sculpted vase c. 1900
MITSUKOSHI Japan
EARLY SHOWA PERIOD (1926-1989) Japan
Vase c. 1925-30
Silver with repoussé blossoms and leaves on a bulbous form with collar
Marks: Mitsukoshi (Japanese characters)
H: 6” x D: 9 1/2”
SOLD
FLAVIO POLI (1900-1984) Italy
SEGUSO VETRI D’ARTE Italy
Vase c. 1950’s
Blue and clear Murano glass
H: 10″ x D: 3″ x W: 4 1/2″
Price: $1,850
Designer, businessman, ceramic artist. Born in Chioggia, he attended the Istituto d’Arte di Venezia and began work as a designer in ceramics. in 1929 he switched to glass and for Libero Vitali’s I.V.A.M. he designed animals, splendid Novecento-style nude figures in massiccio glass, as well as bowls and urns with figures resting on the inside, on lids or as handles. He subsequently collaborated with the Compagnia di Venezia e Murano, with the furnace of Mario and Lino Nason and with the engraver Gino Francesconi. in 1934 he accepted the artistic direction of Barovier, Seguso & Ferro, later to become Seguso Vetri d’Arte, and became partner three years later. Together with the master of the principal team Archimede Seguso, Poli was the author of grandiose lighting installations, of corroded vessels, of sculptures in bulicante glass, of animals in massiccio glass shaped while hot, productions which represented a milestone in the development of Murano glass. At the height of his artistic maturity, in the years between 1950 and 1960 he designed a series of sommerso glass pieces in a Nordic style, essential forms and sharp cold colors, which were awarded prestigious prizes (Compasso d’Oro). After leaving Seguso in 1963, between 1964 and 1966 he organized the artistic glass division at the Societˆ Veneziana di Conterie e Cristallerie.
CHRISTOPHER DRESSER (1834-1904) UK
JAMES COUPER & SONS Glasgow, Scotland
“Clutha” vase c. 1890
Blown strawberry glass
This Dresser form appears as Linthorpe Pottery model no. 114.
Illustrated: Truth, Beauty, Power: Dr. Christopher Dresser 1834-1904,exhib. cat. Historical Design, Inc. (New York, 1998) p. 70.
Rare model.
H: 5 1/8” x W: 6”
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.