Vase

Clément Massier established an important ceramic atelier the south of France. The forms of his works were often inspired by those of Oriental ceramics and his use of iridescent glazes was influenced by Hispano-Moresque ceramics. The form of the vase was inspired by Chinese ceramics. However the visual effect of its decorative iridescent glaze, depicting fish and aquatic plants, was inspired by the appearance of Japanese sprinkled or makie lacquered artifacts that were fashionable with collectors of this period. France was an important centre for the development of Art Nouveau. There the art of the Symbolist movement, with its appeal to the emotions, influenced the subject matter of many French Art Nouveau artifacts. In Paris, important practitioners included the architect Hector Guimard (1867-1942), critic and dealer Julius Meier-Graefe (1867-1935), (whose shop La Maison Moderne was designed by Henry van de Velde), and the art dealer Siegfried Bing (1838-1905). Since the late 1870s, Bing, one of the first dealers to present ancient Chinese artifacts in the West, had helped sensitized Europeans to the aesthetics of Japanese art. In 1895, Bing opened his shop called La Maison de l’Art Nouveau, from which he sold works by major designers including Eugène Gaillard, Emile Gallé, René Lalique, Louis Comfort Tiffany, and Edward Colonna. Nancy, France, was another centre of production, where glass-artist Emile Gallé (1846-1904) and furnituremaker Louis Majorelle (1859-1926), ran large, successful, ateliers.