Elchinger Ceramic Vase

Red checkerboard corolla vase signed Elchinger. Elchinger Ceramics is a family business that Wendelin Elchinger (1809-1895) founded in 1834 on the current site. He transformed the tile factory inherited from his father, which was founded around 1792. Production was initially dedicated to culinary pottery. One of his sons, Philippe (1842-1906), took over and, from 1870, developed an outdoor ornamental pottery focused on garden and facade elements. His son Léon Elchinger (1871-1942) left a remarkable artistic oeuvre. In 1889, he was at the École des Beaux-Arts in Nancy; in 1890 in Germany at Höhr-Grenzhausen for the technical part. Until 1892, he toured France as a journeyman. From 1892 to 1893, the École supérieure des arts décoratifs de Strasbourg, where he was a student, entrusted him with the decoration of the facade of the new school. He created fabulous ceramic panels on this occasion, thus signing, at the age of 21, his first work. He made numerous study trips to England, Hungary and Italy and returned to Soufflenheim to give new impetus to his workshops. He launched into artistic ceramics. His works, particularly flamed stoneware, were very noticed at the beginning of the century during numerous international exhibitions. Several museums acquired them. The factory developed an Art Nouveau and Art Deco style and then, from 1930, produced numerous works of religious statuary. The company continues to produce.