Style Japonism, Chinoiserie / Ref.15210

Théodore Deck, Vase with flowers and butterflies, c. 1880

This glazed ceramic vase was made by Théodore Deck around 1880.

Théodore Deck initially trained as a stove maker. When he set up in Paris on his own account in 1858, he made stove linings and then, on the strength of his success, moved into ceramics. He gradually perfected his technique and enjoyed great success at the many World’s Fairs he took part in. In 1878, he was made an Officer of the Légion d'Honneur. He ran the Sèvres factory between 1887 and his death in 1891.

The body of this vase features a naturalistic design of flowers, flanked by two butterflies and a dragonfly. On an aubergine-coloured background, iris flowers unfurl on one side and a tree branch with colourful blossoms on the other. The leaves add to the polychromy: they come in different shades of green, from khaki to emerald, and some are even "Deck blue", a colour so characteristic of the artist's work that it bears his name. All the decorations are bordered by a thin yellow border in relief. The vase has two ferocious-looking roaring lion heads as handles. The neck is decorated with geometric friezes, while the inside of the vase is lined with a Deck blue glaze.

The piece is stamped under the base: "TH. DECK".

It can be dated to the artist's Far Eastern period. Japanese art began to influence Deck's work after Japan's participation in the 1867 Universal Exhibition. Fascinated by this art, the ceramist collected numerous works and drew inspiration from them for his own pieces. Here, he uses the manganese-coloured background of certain Japanese vases, as well as the lack of depth that characterises Japanese prints. The flowering tree motif is also characteristic of Far Eastern art. Finally, the butterfly is a symbol of happiness and immortality in this culture.

A vase of a very similar shape, with a Japanese-style decoration of poppy flowers and lion's head handles identical to our own, is in Peter Marino's collection.