Style Art Nouveau / Ref.15055

Théodore DECK, circular dish decorated with flowers on an eggplant background, after 1870

This ornamental dish, decorated with a multitude of colourful flowers on an aubergine background, was made in glazed ceramic by Théodore Deck (1823-1891) at the end of the 19^th century.

Theodore Deck initially trained in the field of stove manufacturing. When he established himself in Paris in 1858, he initially produced stove linings, and then, following his success, he ventured into ceramics. The workshop created numerous dishes, sometimes in collaboration with renowned painters. He gradually perfected his technique and achieved great success at the various Universal Exhibitions he participated in. In 1878, he was appointed an officer of the Legion of Honor. He directed the Sèvres porcelain factory from 1887 until his death in 1891.

This dish reflects the influence of Asian arts on his work from the 1870s onwards: against the dark background, the motifs stand out in flat patches of bright, lightly shaded colour, with no sense of depth. The stems, leaves and soft flowers are stylised, as they might be in Japanese prints.

The warm tones of the flowers contrast with the green and blue of the leaves. The bright blue used to depict some of them is characteristic of the artist's work, and has been nicknamed "Deck blue". The ceramist also works the backgrounds of his dishes to give them movement and reinforce the design of the colourful patterns.

Stylised plants are also present on a large dish with a highly worked base, made around 1875 and kept at the Baltimore Museum. The Marc Maison gallery is also showing another dish by Théodore Deck, in which swallows frolic around poppy flowers against a swirling aubergine background.