Enamelled Black Basalt Baluster Vases in the style of Christopher Dresser, Set of 2

Details

Description

Bold polychrome strapwork ribbons in opaque pink and pale green enamel curve across the body of each vase, standing in … Read more Bold polychrome strapwork ribbons in opaque pink and pale green enamel curve across the body of each vase, standing in sharp contrast against a matte black basalt ceramic ground. The entwined geometric bands create cartouches framing gilded foliate ornament, stylised trefoils and delicate anthemion-like sprigs. Above and below, deep terracotta-red enamelled panels on the flaring neck and spreading foot are filled with fluid gilded scrolls and beaded tendrils. The balanced baluster profile rises smoothly to an everted rim with a fine gilded border, echoing the classical symmetry favoured during the Aesthetic Movement. The decoration shows a marked kinship with the published ornamental theories of Christopher Dresser. Rather than imitating natural flowers directly, the ornament relies on flat decorative patterns, deliberate geometry and stylised botanical motifs.

Probably dating from the 1870s or 1880s, each piece is cast in fine-grained black basalt stoneware, unglazed on the exterior yet smooth and tactile. This dense, dark body provides an ideal surface for vitrified enamels, which sit slightly raised upon the ground to give both texture and visual depth. The interior of the neck is finished in the same clean, unglazed stoneware. The undersides bear the impressed shape number 3179 without a printed factory backstamp. High-quality enamelled basalt wares of this calibre were undertaken by leading Staffordshire manufacturers, most notably Josiah Wedgwood & Sons, alongside capable contemporary competitors producing decorative art pottery for the domestic market. Each vase stands 28 cm high with a maximum diameter of 14 cm across the shoulder. The pair remains in exceptional original condition, with no chips, cracks, hairline fractures or restoration. The hand-painted enamelling is crisp and well preserved, retaining strong colour throughout, while the gilding exhibits only minor, authentic rubbing along the rim edges. See less