Rare Circa 2000 Maitland-Smith Hand-Painted Leopard Crackle-Glaze Vase

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Description

A rare-to-market circa-2000 Maitland-Smith ceramic vase, designed and handmade in Thailand, featuring a wonderfully stylized running leopard painted in rich … Read more A rare-to-market circa-2000 Maitland-Smith ceramic vase, designed and handmade in Thailand, featuring a wonderfully stylized running leopard painted in rich sepia brown against an intentionally crackled ivory ground.

Identified by its surviving Maitland-Smith label as design 2186-913, this is the only example of the model located as currently available during extensive market research conducted at the time of cataloging. No identical example was found in accessible dealer listings, auction archives or indexed secondary-market records, making it an especially compelling discovery for collectors of Maitland-Smith and distinctive decorative animalia.

The generously scaled baluster form provides an expansive surface for the atmospheric woodland composition. A dramatically elongated spotted leopard moves across the foreground beneath loosely rendered trees and layers of delicate vegetation. Its alert head, extended body, flexed legs and curling tail give the scene a striking sense of motion.

The leopard is rendered with considerably greater definition than the surrounding landscape. Individually applied spots, precisely outlined features and subtle tonal shading allow the animal to emerge from the softer, almost impressionistic foliage. As the rounded vessel turns, the landscape becomes progressively more abstract, giving the vase visual interest from multiple viewpoints.

Its disciplined monochromatic palette is one of the piece’s greatest strengths. Rather than relying on the brilliant blues, greens and famille-rose colors commonly associated with Chinoiserie ceramics, the artist used nuanced shades of chocolate, tobacco and sepia against a warm cream ground. The result feels traditional, exotic and unexpectedly modern—almost like a three-dimensional grisaille painting.

An intentional crackle glaze extends across the body, neck and underside. Its fine network of warm-toned craquelure lends depth and visual age to the ivory surface while integrating the painted decoration into the ceramic form. This extensive crackled finish is part of the vase’s original decorative treatment rather than evidence of structural damage.

The vessel’s classical silhouette provides an elegant counterpoint to its eccentric animal subject. Rounded shoulders rise to a gently constricted neck and broad rolled lip, while the tapered lower body terminates in a substantial circular foot. At nearly fourteen inches tall and nine inches in diameter, the vase has sufficient presence to anchor a composition without becoming difficult to place.

For the designer or collector, this piece offers a particularly sophisticated interpretation of decorative animalia. The leopard introduces wit, movement and personality, while the restrained ivory-and-sepia palette keeps the vase elegant rather than thematic. It possesses the recognizable quality of an established luxury decorative-arts maker while retaining the individuality and visual surprise of a genuine collected find.

Its quiet coloration makes it especially effective in a color-forward room. Display it against lacquer red, emerald green, peacock blue, aubergine or glossy chocolate brown, where the warm ivory glaze will appear particularly luminous. It would be equally compelling styled with leopard velvet, botanical chintz, tortoiseshell, antique brass, dark mahogany and richly patterned wallpaper.

Place it alone on a console or center table, incorporate it into a layered mantel arrangement or position it beneath a gilt mirror or dramatic work of art. It would also be striking displayed among blue-and-white porcelain, Chinese export objects, animal sculpture and Grand Tour finds.

The combination of documented maker, Thai artisan production, rare-to-market model, handmade character and unconventional leopard imagery gives the vase the presence of a collected decorative object rather than ordinary floral pottery.

A memorable and elusive Maitland-Smith vessel for Chinoiserie, Hollywood Regency, English country, global traditional, Grandmillennial or unapologetically maximalist interiors.

MAKER, DATE AND IDENTIFICATION
The underside retains its original green paper manufacturer’s label reading:

“Designed and Hand Made in Thailand by Maitland-Smith Ltd.”

A separate white label records Maitland-Smith design or model number 2186-913. The underside also retains an original yellow quality-control sticker bearing a handwritten notation that appears to read “4/16-00.”

Because this notation appears in the sticker’s date field, it most plausibly records a quality-control inspection on April 16, 2000. The vase is therefore cataloged as circa 2000. The date remains an informed reading of the surviving factory sticker rather than a separately documented production record.

The running-leopard identification corresponds with the historical description supplied with the vase. The animal is artistically stylized and is not intended as a zoologically exact rendering.

Maitland-Smith was founded in 1979 by London antiques dealer Paul Maitland-Smith. The company became known for expressive decorative objects and furnishings produced through artisan-based workshops employing traditional techniques.

RARITY AND MARKET AVAILABILITY
Extensive searches of currently available Maitland-Smith inventory, indexed dealer listings, auction references and broader secondary-market results did not locate another example of model 2186-913 or an identical leopard-and-landscape composition.

At the time of cataloging, this is the only example of the design located as currently offered within the accessible online market. It is therefore accurately described as rare-to-market.

This statement refers to documented present market availability and the absence of accessible comparable examples. It does not represent the vase as a unique object, one-of-a-kind commission or formally documented limited edition.

PROVENANCE
Private collection
Retains original Maitland-Smith manufacturer, model-number and quality-control labels

KEYWORDS
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