Philocale - Matthieu Semont, Sauvons les meubles, lot 328, Saint-Jean-de-la-Ruelle, May 5, 2026.
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Pedestalled vase in enameled earthenware with a deep blue glaze, featuring two vertical triangular handles attached on either side of the neck. It is set on a gilt-bronze mount that forms the base, rim, and interior lining of the vase. The trapezoidal body is decorated with a wide frieze of grapevines and interlacing, interrupted on the main face by a circular medallion featuring a profile head wearing a Renaissance-style hairstyle. The entire decoration, rendered in a rich polychromy dominated by shades of blue, yellow, and green, is fully in keeping with the Neo-Renaissance taste.
With its deep blue glaze, the richness of its painted decoration, and the use of an ornamental vocabulary directly inspired by the Renaissance, this vase is a particularly representative example of the production that contributed to the renown of Auguste Jean. Although relatively rare in his work, the presence of a gilt-bronze mount is a notable feature.
A vase of comparable shape and decoration is now held at the Musée d’Orsay, and several other similar examples are known. The recurrence of this model attests to the success of this type of creation in Auguste Jean's body of work.
Condition: Nicks.
Signature: Signed on the reverse, under the base (visible once the bronze mount is removed).
