Style Symbolism / Ref.13900

Pierre-Adrien DALPAYRAT, Jardinière "The Sea"

This enamelled stoneware jardinière was made by Adrien Dalpayrat around 1896. It was part of the private collection of Senator Paulin Daudé between 1901 and 1928.

Pierre-Adrien Dalpayrat (Limoges, 1844-1910) was one of the most important European ceramists of the late 19^th century, particularly for his mastery of the flamed stoneware technique. He worked for various earthenware manufacturers before founding his own in Bourg-la-Reine. He almost never used a wheel, adding to his virtuosity in the art of glazing. The ceramist teamed up with Adèle Lesbros to take part in various exhibitions, where his pieces met with considerable success.

This jardinière was made as part of the collaboration between Dalpayrat and Adèle Lesbros. The two names were not associated until 1894, and in 1896 a preparatory plaster cast of the work appeared in a photograph published in the Revue Illustrée. It must therefore have been made between 1894 and 1896, and our jardinière around 1896. The work was part of a set that also included two vases on the theme of the sea.

"The Sea" jardinière depicts the impetuous movements of agitated waves and their foam. The green and grey enamel, white in places, with its jagged, irregular shapes, evokes a stormy sea; in contrast, the oxblood red (the famous "Dalpayrat red") of the crab in high relief, deep and luminous, stands out clearly against the sea. The originality of this work lies in the virtuosity with which Dalpayrat decorated the stoneware surfaces and in the way he executed the model. His signature, in the shape of a pomegranate, is carved into the underside of the base.

The two vases that together with the jardinière form a complete mantelpiece are in the Saint-Louis Art Museum and in a private collection. Like the jardinière, they both feature the sea-green colour that matches the shape of the foam crowning the waves, and the oxblood red that distinguishes our work. The red seems to rise from the depths of the sea and dissolve as the foam is released at the top of the vase.

As far as we know, this jardinière is a unique piece, characteristic of the work of its creator, who was at the height of his career, and of his collaboration with Adèle Lesbros.

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