BASKET

Between 1877 and 1884

Blown and hot-worked glass, polychrome enamel decoration, gilding highlights

H. 26 cm

Private collection

© Boisgirard-Antonini

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Boisgirard-Antonini, Old Master Paintings, Art Nouveau and Art Deco Glassware, Works of Art and Furniture, Lot 161, Paris, March 25, 2015.

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Globular tripod basket vase, made of translucent amber blown glass with metallic reflections evoking a coppery material, enhanced with numerous gilded accents. The body is adorned with several hot-worked and applied elements: raised glass cabochons, lateral rings, and the base, each of the three feet extending vertically into a thin undulating "rib" that rises to the neck. The neck is also hot-worked and topped with three handles whose ends meet in a finial knob.

The vase features a rich polychrome enameled decoration inspired by the Far East, composed of leafy and flowering branches and numerous cartouches of various shapes. These contain floral and geometric motifs evoking the decorations of traditional Japanese textiles.

With its globular silhouette, tripod base, and especially the presence of small lateral handles on the body, this work resembles both a basket and a small cauldron. The metallic treatment of the glass, which evokes the patina of copper, further reinforces this impression.

Since no other example of comparable form and construction is currently known in Auguste Jean's work, it appears as a unique piece within the currently identified corpus.