Ewer
Artist
Adrian Saxe
(American, 1943-)
Artist
Gilles Bouttaz
(French, born 1953)
Manufacturer
Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory
(French, founded 1756)
CultureAmerican
Date1992
MediumGlazed porcelain, gilding
DimensionsOverall: 32.5 × 22 × 7.5 cm (12 13/16 × 8 11/16 × 2 15/16 in.)
MarkingsSevres mark and stamp with initials of the decorator
DescriptionThis object combines an exquisite and complex form with remarkable surface painting. The form explicitly makes numerous references to historical decorative arts, from the pedestal like base, to the French curl in the center to the golden finial. It mixes these references into a postmodern whole: an object that is curiously familiar yet completely original. The surface painting expertly replicates faux bois, an imitation wood pattern seen in trompe l’oeil ceramics as well as in other media. The faux bois also references Pablo Picasso’s use of wood grain patterns in the early 20th century, deftly positioning the work at the nexus of historical decorative arts, Modernism, and Postmodernism.
Credit LineGift of Jane Corkin
Object numberG18.5.3a-b
Classifications
Modern and Contemporary CeramicsSub-classification
AmericanCollections
Status
On viewArtist / Maker: Casa Pirota Workshop
1537
Object number: G83.1.351
Artist / Maker: Frankenthal Porcelain Factory
c.1778
Object number: G96.5.191a-b