20th Century French Vase from Géo Martel

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Description

Splendid jug made in Desvres earthenware at the beginning of the 20th century. Of fascinating shape and color combination, it … Read more Splendid jug made in Desvres earthenware at the beginning of the 20th century. Of fascinating shape and color combination, it depicts two Breton scenes, starring a shepherdess woman with her cows. Dressed in the typical costume of the area, her white Breton hat stands out. In the first scene the woman presides over the composition; in the second, however, she appears performing one of her tasks, such as milking. The figures are molded in half relief, standing out against the background of different tones (ochre, blue, green). Another important characteristic are the handles of the jug, orange with black stripes, naïve in style. Two marks appear on the bottom, one of which reads "G.M.", Géo Martel.


Desvres is a French commune located in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region. A historic pottery center since ancient times, it was in the 18th century that it again began to stand out in this field with factories such as Géo Martel, Masse and Gabriel Fourmaintraux, which would reach their peak around 1900. with the development of the twentieth century, for various reasons such as wars, they ceased their manufacturing activity, remaining in the 90s only active independent craftsmen.

Géo Martel was one of the leading factories, known for hiring artists such as Achille Blot, Georges Charlet, Giovanni Léonardi, Edouard Manchuel, etc. for their designs. Therefore, Desvres earthenware will always be handmade. The themes approached are borrowed from the religious repertoire (virgins and saints), regionalist (village scenes, peasants\.) and maritime (fishermen and sailors). The Art Deco years marked a turning point in Desvres' production, which until then had focused on reproducing old styles.

Dimensions: 26 x 24 x 24 cm.
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