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Théodore DECK (ceramist) and Anthony Ludovic REGNIER (painter) - Ceramic dish glazed with tiger lily and butterfly on a blue background

This glazed ceramic dish was made in the workshop of the ceramist Théodore Deck (1823-1891) and painted by Anthony Ludovic Régnier (1851-1930) in 1881. It is signed in the decor "A. L. REGNIER" and dated in "1881". In the back, it wears the mark "TH. Deck" ; it is entitled "LIS TIGRE" and bears the number "160". Théodore Deck initially trained as a stove maker. When he set up in Paris on his own account in 1858, he made stove linings and then, on the strength of his success, moved into ceramics. The studio produced many dishes in collaboration with well-known painters, including Anthony Ludovic Régnier. Deck gradually perfected his technique and enjoyed great success at the many World’s Fairs he took part in. In 1878, he was made an Officer of the Légion d'Honneur. He ran the Sèvres factory between 1887 and his death in 1891. Anthony Ludovic Régnier was a prolific artist from the workshop of Théodore Deck, specialising in flower paintings. He is otherwise little known. The painter's mastery is evident in his particularly precise and detailed depiction of the tiger lily, whose flowers are in various stages of bloom. A bindweed flower curls around its stem, adding complexity to the pattern. A butterfly flutters around the lily, as does a small yellow and black striped insect. This work is a fine example of the Japonism that swept through European art from the 1870s until the early years of the 20th century, and which particularly influenced Théodore Deck, a collector of Far Eastern art. The Musée des Arts décoratifs, de la Faïence et de la Mode in Marseille has a dish with daturas and nasturtiums by Deck, decorated by Régnier. The different flowers give the decoration great variety.

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Émile GALLÉ, Jardiniere with a design inspired by the nature of Pharaonic Egypt, circa 1879-1890

This ceramic jardinière, with a design inspired by the natural world of ancient Egypt, was created by Émile Gallé in the late 19th century. Considered the founding father of Art Nouveau, Émile Gallé (1846-1904) took over the manufactory established by his father and gave it a decisive new direction, which he sustained throughout his life with his ever-renewed creativity. Ancient Egypt and its culture were among his favored sources of inspiration, as evidenced by this work. The artist selected two complementary colors, brown and blue, to structure the piece and give it a distinct harmony. The blue forms faux drips over the brown, perhaps evoking the Nile’s floods that fertilized Egyptian soil. The brown background features reed stems, reed flowers, and papyrus blooms. A flying scarab with wings resembling those of a bird references the god Khepri, the manifestation of the rising sun. The entire design is enhanced with gold accents. A similar piece in shape but featuring a Japanese-inspired design was sold at auction by Tajan in Paris in 2013. The Egyptian inspiration in this piece is also echoed in a jardinière shaped like a falcon housed in the Musée d’Orsay in Paris. In that work, Gallé also incorporated designs of reeds and papyrus, as well as a flying scarab with large falcon-like wings.