Neoclassical Amphora Vases, 1890s, Set of 2

Details

Description

A pair of decorative Empire/Art Nouveau style vases, remarkable French work from the late 19th century, combining flamed blue-green glazed … Read more A pair of decorative Empire/Art Nouveau style vases, remarkable French work from the late 19th century, combining flamed blue-green glazed ceramic with delicate bronze or gilt brass mounts.

with their tapered silhouette inspired by antique amphorae, these vases possess a particularly elegant and architectural line. The large, finely drawn vertical handles frame a body in shades of flamed petrol blue, offering subtle, shimmering reflections that shift with the light.

The openwork frieze adorning the shoulder adds a decorative richness typical of high-end French productions of the Art Nouveau period. These amphora-shaped vases perfectly illustrate the late 19th-century fascination with antique forms reinterpreted through the lens of contemporary taste. The Empire style, heir to ancient Rome, provides the vocabulary of forms—the amphora, the monumental handles, the architectural silhouette—while Art Nouveau inflects the ornamentation towards greater organicism and fluidity.

The combination of flamed blue-green glazed ceramic and gilt bronze mounts is characteristic of high-end French production of the period, when ceramists and bronze workers each mastered their techniques to an exceptional level. The shimmering reflections of the flamed glaze and the brilliance of the gilt bronze complement each other with rare elegance.

Under the base, a mark engraved in the clay—likely a model number (279)—is visible, though now partially worn away. See less