Amphora Turn-Teplitz Art Nouveau Basket-Weave Floral Vase Circa 1900

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A striking circa 1900 Art Nouveau vase by Amphora of Turn-Teplitz, Bohemia, associated with the celebrated Riessner, Stellmacher & Kessel … Read more A striking circa 1900 Art Nouveau vase by Amphora of Turn-Teplitz, Bohemia, associated with the celebrated Riessner, Stellmacher & Kessel pottery works.
Standing an impressive 14 inches high, the vase is modeled throughout in an elaborate basket-weave pattern, its sculptural form framed by a pair of curved branch-like handles accented in gilt. An exuberant arrangement of dimensional flowers, buds, leaves and trailing stems wraps around the body, rendered in softly graduated shades of celadon green, ivory, burgundy and rose with hand-applied gilt highlights.
The contrast between the tightly textured basketry and the deeply modeled floral decoration is particularly effective. Large burgundy leaves sweep across the lower body while clusters of pale flowers project dramatically from the surface, giving the vase considerable depth and presence from every angle.
Amphora was produced in Turn-Teplitz, Bohemia—then part of Austria-Hungary and today Trnovany in the Czech Republic. The factory became internationally known around the turn of the 20th century for its imaginative Art Nouveau ceramics, often combining naturalistic forms, relief decoration, unusual glazes and gilding.
The underside bears impressed Amphora factory marks including the crown, “Amphora” and “Austria,” together with impressed production numbers.
At 14 inches tall, this is a substantial decorative example with enough sculptural detail to work equally well in an Art Nouveau collection or as a statement object in a layered contemporary, maximalist or eclectic interior. See less