A Pair of Gilt-Bronze Mounted and Enamelled Glass Vases
By Baccarat,
circa 1890
Enamelled to depict birds in flight and perched on pine tree and blossoming branches beneath a full moon, each stamped with the firm's mark
Each vase: 13 ¾ in (35 cm) high
cf. Arts of East and West from World Expositions, 1855-1900: Paris, Vienna and Chicago, exh. cat., Tokyo National Museum, 2005, p.89, no.I-229 – for an illustration of a vase with similar enamel decoration in the Musée Baccarat, Paris
Jean-Louis Curtis, Baccarat, 1992, p.57 – for an illustration of a vase of similar shape from a lithograph commemorating Baccarat's success at the Paris Expositions of 1867 and 1878.
Each vase: 13 ¾ in (35 cm) high
cf. Arts of East and West from World Expositions, 1855-1900: Paris, Vienna and Chicago, exh. cat., Tokyo National Museum, 2005, p.89, no.I-229 – for an illustration of a vase with similar enamel decoration in the Musée Baccarat, Paris
Jean-Louis Curtis, Baccarat, 1992, p.57 – for an illustration of a vase of similar shape from a lithograph commemorating Baccarat's success at the Paris Expositions of 1867 and 1878.
Enamelling was first used by Baccarat in around 1843, but it was not until later that this technique truly took off. In 1867 Philippe-Joseph Brocard made reproductions of the opaque and embossed enamels on Islamic glasswork. Then in 1878, Japanese art was shown for the first time in its own pavilion at the Exposition Universelle in Paris. From that time, Baccarat began exhibiting pieces inspired by these sources.
These vases show Japanese motifs with their nature-inspired motifs, in particular the assymetrical branches, which recall the branches of cherry trees so familiar from Japanese prints. Similar branches can be seen on Baccarat's sale catalogue following the 1878 Exhibition, at which they won the Grand Prix.
These vases show Japanese motifs with their nature-inspired motifs, in particular the assymetrical branches, which recall the branches of cherry trees so familiar from Japanese prints. Similar branches can be seen on Baccarat's sale catalogue following the 1878 Exhibition, at which they won the Grand Prix.
