Style Japonism, Chinoiserie / Ref.13327

Théodore DECK, Round plate with flowers and butterflies decorations, circa 1880-1890

Our plate depicts a decoration influenced by the Asian motifs as many other pieces from Deck's production. Indeed, his very eclectic production mixes many influences that touches the art in the 19th century, such as the "Historicisme", the "Orientalisme", the "Japonisme" or the Chinese art. The Japan and China influence is more visible in the 1870's Deck's production, we can often find a flora and fauna inspired by the Asian continent in his ceramic decoration.
For instance, on our plate made of enameled ceramic, many flowers are detached on a white background with motifs tone-on-tone in slight relief. Two butterflies are accompanied the flowers, symbol in the Japanese culture of hapiness and immortality.
The artist dazzles us with the colours he chose for the plate decoration, which he succeed to make harmonious. The flowers are painted in yellow, purple and orange-red. While the leaves are green and other takes the artist's famous blue.
After a wandering apprenticeship in Europe, in the begginning of the 1840's, Théodore Deck (1823-1891) comes back to France and more specifically in Paris, in 1847 and enters the Gaspard Victor Vogt (1808 – 1845)'s factory, led by his widow Antoinette Rose Vogt. Because of the 1848 Revolution, he returns to native city where he opens a workshop before returning in the Vogt's one in 1851. Four years later, it obtains a first gold medal in the Great Exhibition of 1855. After that, he decides to open a facotry with his brother in 1858 and collaborates with many painters that have already been successful in the Salon. We can name for instance, Albert Anker (1831 – 1910), Ernest Carrière (1858 – 1908) or even Sophie Schaeppi (1852 – 1921). Théodore Deck has also trained some artists, like the most famous of them all, Edmond Lachenal (1855 – 1948). In 1887, and until his death in 1891, Théodore Deck leaves the direction of his workshop to his brother to become the Manufacture de Sèvres new head. His brother died in 1901, leaving the direction of the Deck's workshop to his nephew who couldn't keep it, had to close it in 1905.

The Deck brothers exhibit for the first time in 1861, during the Exposition des Arts industriels in Paris. Théodore Deck receives there a firs medal dispite the critics on some cracked pieces. It's only the next year that he wins a true success in the United Kingdom by presenting the in the Great Exhibition of 1862 his famous blue on the Alhambra vase. The participations to the Great Exhibitions rhythms his career and become the engine to his technical breakthrough. During the 1867 exhibition in Paris, he receives a new silver medal and in 1878 he's named Officier de la Légion d'Honneur.

For more information on this work, see the video on MarcMaison.art.