19th Century Art Nouveau Majolica Ceramic Jugs attributed to Sarreguemines or Lunéville, France, Set of 3

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Description

MEASUREMENTS:
Jug 1: Height: 21.5 cm; Width: 12 cm; Depth: 11.5 cm; Weight: 0.587 kg
Jug 2: Height: 23.3 cm; … Read more MEASUREMENTS:
Jug 1: Height: 21.5 cm; Width: 12 cm; Depth: 11.5 cm; Weight: 0.587 kg
Jug 2: Height: 23.3 cm; Width: 11.5 cm; Depth: 10.5 cm; Weight: 0.602 kg
Jug 3: Height: 20.5 cm; Width: 14.5 cm; Depth: 13.5 cm; Weight: 0.790 kg

Item :
This exquisite triptych of jugs is an interesting testament to the eclecticism and decorative arts of Europe between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, fully attributable to the French majolica earthenware production of the Art Nouveau period. The attribution is based on unmistakable structural and manufacturing characteristics highlighted by direct analysis of the bases, which reveal the imprint of the catalog number "14" and the manufacturing letter "P" on the raw pottery, typical of the great historic pottery districts of Lorraine, such as Lunéville and Sarreguemines. The three pieces share the same historicist formal matrix, characterized by a globular body tapering to an elongated cylindrical neck with a chalice-shaped spout and a slender handle. The lot masterfully displays the various aesthetic variations conceived by the workshop: the first piece features a monochrome bottle-green glaze (height 20.5 cm, width 14.5 cm, depth 13.5 cm, weight 0.790 kg) embellished with bouquets of daisies applied in lightly raised "barbotine" enamel and highlighted with pure gold; The second jug features a refined two-tone antique rose and ivory finish (height 23.3 cm, width 11.5 cm, depth 10.5 cm, weight 0.602 kg), entirely covered with a dense network of oriental-inspired craquelure. The third piece features a glossy white finish with a covering tin glaze and a pink neck (height 21.5 cm, width 12 cm, depth 11.5 cm, weight 0.587 kg), characterized by varying degrees of maturation of the patina and glaze. The pieces are overall in good condition, displaying genuine historical chippings on the edges of the spouts, evidence of their actual use in the past.

Information on the artist and/or manufacturer:
The French ceramic districts of Lorraine experienced extraordinary industrial and artistic expansion during the second half of the 19th century, becoming avant-garde laboratories in the stylistic evolution that led from eclectic historicism to the sinuous lines of Art Nouveau. The region's manufacturers stood out internationally for their perfection of soft earthenware and the development of thick, glossy lead glazes, which allowed them to decorate everyday objects with naturalistic-inspired floral motifs applied directly to slips. Under the influence of Japonism, which was revolutionizing Parisian artistic circles following the Universal Expositions, these kilns began to reproduce in their workshops the translucent glass effects of oriental celadon and the fine crazing of Satsuma majolica, offering the bourgeois public refined replicas of great visual impact. The creations of the Lorraine master potters at the end of the century, now exhibited in numerous French museums dedicated to the applied arts, remain a fundamental point of reference for understanding the transition from artisanal manufacturing to the large-scale industrial production of luxury goods in the early twentieth century. See less