PLANTER

Between 1859 - 1884

Polychrome enamelled earthenware

H. 22.3 cm; D. 27.4 cm

Sèvres - National Museum of Ceramics (inv. 2012.3.11)

© National Museum of Ceramics, Sèvres I Aurore Cuyala

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Choppin de Janvry, [sale name not specified], [lot number not specified], Paris, May 31, 2010.

Collection of Florence Slitine.

Gift in 2012 by Florence Slitine to the National Museum of Ceramics - Sèvres (inv. 2012.3.11)

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Small jardinière in enamelled earthenware, trapezoidal in shape, with a flared rim and resting on a tripod base. It features a polychrome Orientalist décor, dominated by shades of green, white, and yellow, standing out against a dark blue glaze. Fine yellow borders emphasize the contours and structure the composition into three horizontal registers.

The body is adorned with a wide central band featuring white pseudo-Arabic calligraphy on a blue background animated by interlacings and foliage. This frieze is interrupted by four medallions decorated alternately with opposing bird motifs and floral compositions. On either side, two bands feature stylized vegetal motifs, arranged symmetrically on a blue background. The interior is coated in a white enamel delicately speckled with pink, characteristic of many earthenware pieces by Auguste Jean.

This work reveals a lesser-known facet of the artist's production. Moving away from his famous Neo-Renaissance inspired blue-ground earthenware, it testifies to his interest in Orientalism, which was then inspiring many French ceramicists. Much like Théodore Deck or Eugène Collinot, Auguste Jean was part of the eclectic movement that revitalized French artistic earthenware in the second half of the 19th century. Here, he offers a singular interpretation, combining ornamentation of Eastern inspiration with a color palette and a decorative vocabulary that are uniquely his own.