Inventory Number DET006
Size 9.5"H x 4"W x 4"D
Material Glazed Earthenware
Period Art Nouveau
Country of Origin Austria
Year Made 1885
Condition Excellent
A famous French potter of the second half of the 19th century, Théodore Deck established his own faience workshop in 1853. He is best known for producing wares of Islamic and Iznik inspiration, but by the 1880s he started to find inspiration in the Chinese ceramic tradition. This vase testifies to such an influence, judging from Deck's borrowing of an important motif in traditional Chinese visual culture: dragons playing in clouds with a ball or a large pearl. The potter emphasized the importance of such figurative elements through color (his use of a bright purple pink glaze, which covers the dragon) and relief, thus creating a highly dynamic piece.
