"barbarian Piece" Gourd Vase By Jean Carriès

Vase-gourd "Pièce barbare" in stoneware with curved body and flat bottom, enamelled moss green castings on beige glaze; neck highlighted by a handle and handle covered with white enamel. Carries the handwritten inscription in hollow "Pièce barbare par Jean Carriès" and two stamps, one of which enamelled under underglaze, on the back of the base. Circa 1890

Jean Joseph Marie Carriès was born in Lyon in 1855 in a modest family. Orphaned at the age of 6, he was raised in an orphanage and then placed in 1868 as an apprentice to Pierre Vermare, a sculptor of objects of piety. In 1814, he arrived in Paris where he modeled the first heads of the series of the Disinherited. After his military service in Montauban, he was impressed by the arts of the Far East, particularly Japanese ceramics, which led him to devote himself to the art of fire.
He was successful during his lifetime, receiving rave reviews when his work was exhibited at various salons, and was acquired by museums. In 1890, he embarked on the ambitious project of the monumental sandstone door for the hotel of the princess of Scey-Montbéliard. This project cost Carriès enormously, both financially and in terms of energy and time. 
He died in 1894, having left a deep mark on the art of his time.