Style Japonism, Chinoiserie / Ref.14002

JULES VIEILLARD & COMPAGNIE, large Japanese-style cachepot in Bordeaux earthenware with polychrome enamel decoration

This large, Japanese-style cachepot in Bordeaux earthenware is signed Jules Vieillard et Compagnie. The rich polychrome enamel decoration blends scrolls, flowers, medallions, and stylized cranes. The base is decorated with a Greek key frieze and blue Japanese-style volutes. Acanthus scrolls unfold against a plain background, displaying large blue flowers. The decoration alternates a series of blue medallions with symmetrical floral motifs with large pink medallions depicting cranes in flight. The shoulder features an alternating frieze of stylized blue and pink petals, characteristic of Japanese ornamental design. Our cachepot is signed under the base: three interlaced crescents represent the coat of arms of the city of Bordeaux. This mark indicates a period of manufacture between 1868 and 1895, when Jules Vieillard's two sons, Charles and Albert, managed the factory. The genesis of this type of Japonisme decoration can certainly be attributed to the presence of Amédée de Caranza at Vieillard from 1878 onwards. A visionary workshop manager with a sensibility imbued with Orientalism and Japonisme, the Bordeaux factory flourished after the 1878 Universal Exhibition, largely thanks to the models, designs, and enameling techniques introduced by Amédée de Caranza. This superb Japonisme cachepot can be dated to the last quarter of the 19th century, between 1878 and 1895.