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Faïencerie de Gien - Beautiful Napoleon III style earthenware planter "Bernard" with a gold decor, late 19th century

This beautiful planter with a polychromatic floral decor was made between the late 19th century and the early 20th century in the Gien earthenware factory as indicates the stamp on the bottom. It's the "Bernard" model, with a bulging shape resting on four snail feet and flanked with two handles. Its main decoration is composed of a beautiful lilies patch on a beige background, depicting white or colored with gold blooming flowers and buds surrounded by orange leaves. This decoration is lightened up with larges strips with stylised floral motifs and volutes in purple, green, yellow and turquoise reminding the famous blue of the ceramicist Theodore Deck. About the handles and the feet, they are colored with the same jade green used in this decor, that we also find inside the planter. Among the many earthenware factories born in the 19th century, Gien is one of the most reknown and the most important in Europe. It excels in the imitation art, and makes copies of pieces from the past to an affordable price. Unique pieces were also created thanks to talented artists who decorated them with new decorations, or were inspired by ones from the past or other European and Middle East factories. The factory was born in 1821 initated by Thomas Edme Hulm who buys the lands of the old Minimes convent in Gien to settle an earthenware factory after giving up the one in Montereau managed by his family since 1774. Because of financial difficulties, the Gien factory changes many times its name between 1826 et 1862, it is successively called « Guyon, Boulen & Cie », « Geoffroy, Guérin & Cie » before bearing its definitive name « Faïencerie de Gien » from 1875. The factory participates to the numerous exhibitions of the second half of the 19th centuryn especially the Wolds Fairs and wins many rewards. A planter with the same shape and a similar decor is conserved in the Charles VII museum in Mehun-sur-Yèvre in France

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Flowers and golden spangles, an exceptional ceramic vase by Emile GALLÉ

Signed with the name Emile Gallé, our vase is a rare piece. It was made in Nancy in 1884. This work, just before the wave of art nouveau, reveals Gallé's precocious talent. At this time, Gallé studied mineralogy and developed his passion for natural sciences. In order to evoke nature, the artist does not hesitate to use complex techniques. The earthenware has inclusions of metallic particles which give it a precious character. The floral decoration is thus illuminated by gold spangles. From red-brown to golden yellow, the color gradient is particularly warm and elegant. The edge of the vase is decorated with plant decoration. Like many of Gallé's creations, this vase is closer to a work of art than a simple decorative object. A source of emotion, it appeals as much to the eye as to the mind. We know of a vase of a larger size, which was presented at the exhibition of the central union of decorative arts in 1884. Designed by Gallé, a preparatory study for a vase from the same period is kept at the Musée d’Orsay.

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Émile GALLÉ, Jardiniere with a design inspired by the nature of Pharaonic Egypt, circa 1879-1890

This ceramic jardinière, with a design inspired by the natural world of ancient Egypt, was created by Émile Gallé in the late 19th century. Considered the founding father of Art Nouveau, Émile Gallé (1846-1904) took over the manufactory established by his father and gave it a decisive new direction, which he sustained throughout his life with his ever-renewed creativity. Ancient Egypt and its culture were among his favored sources of inspiration, as evidenced by this work. The artist selected two complementary colors, brown and blue, to structure the piece and give it a distinct harmony. The blue forms faux drips over the brown, perhaps evoking the Nile’s floods that fertilized Egyptian soil. The brown background features reed stems, reed flowers, and papyrus blooms. A flying scarab with wings resembling those of a bird references the god Khepri, the manifestation of the rising sun. The entire design is enhanced with gold accents. A similar piece in shape but featuring a Japanese-inspired design was sold at auction by Tajan in Paris in 2013. The Egyptian inspiration in this piece is also echoed in a jardinière shaped like a falcon housed in the Musée d’Orsay in Paris. In that work, Gallé also incorporated designs of reeds and papyrus, as well as a flying scarab with large falcon-like wings.

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Louis XVI style mantel with pilaster feet carved in veined Carrara marble

This fireplace features a mix of Ancient Greek motifs and vegetation, a typical Louis XVI combination. On the band are two distinct friezes, one of leaves and the other of pearls, recurring motifs under Louis XVI. A flower in relief is carved on the console part of the legs. It is composed of a central bud and leaves turning around it. The rest of the legs feature carved pilasters interspersed with field flowers. At the top garlands of laurel leaves encircle the pilaster, adding dimension to the leg. Carrara marble also adds dimension to the fireplace, with its gray veins standing out against the white background. This fireplace comes with its original cast-iron interior, featuring geometric and plant motifs in keeping with the Louis XVI-style.