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Vase

Pierre Clément MassierDesigned c. 1900

Royal Ontario Museum

Royal Ontario Museum
Toronto, Canada

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.

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  • Title: Vase
  • Creator: Designed by Clément Massier (French, 1844 - 1917), made by Céramiques Clément Massier
  • Creator Lifespan: 1844 - 1917
  • Creator Nationality: French
  • Creator Gender: Male
  • Date: Designed c. 1900
  • Location: Vallauris-Golfe-Juan (Alpes maritimes), Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
  • Physical Dimensions: w51 x h81 cm
  • Provenance: From the Collection of Bernard and Sylvia Ostry, purchased with funds from the Louise Hawley Stone Charitable Trust; Certified by theCanadian Cultural Property Export Review Board under the terms ofthe Cultural Property Export and Import Act. Atteste par la Commission canadienne d'examen des exportations de biens culturels en vertu de la Loi sur L'Exportation et L'Importation de Biens Culturels
  • Type: Decorative Arts
  • Rights: Royal Ontario Museum
  • Medium: Earthenware, with raised decoration, gold iridescent glaze
  • Accession Number: 998.135.30
Royal Ontario Museum

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