Charming Zoomorphic Blown Glass Bird Feeder - Folk Art - Auvergne

Late XIXᵉ century

Massif central - Auvergne

France

Lot of two blown glass bird troughs, pertaining to rural folk art productions related to domestic animal husbandry.

Both pieces adopt a slender conical shape resting on a rounded base, extended by a hot-formed side spout enabling watering. This typology, directly derived from the farming world, responds to a precise function while retaining great freedom of execution.

The top of each trough is adorned with a small stylized bird, formed in the mass by pinching and stretching the still-warm glass. This detail, both naive and expressive, goes beyond mere function to introduce an almost unexpected presence. In an object intended for everyday use, this type of intervention reveals a desire to do more than is necessary, to leave a trace.

One of the examples features a neck enriched with spiral rings in relief, obtained by winding the glass. This more demonstrative treatment reflects assertive technical mastery and introduces a play of rhythm and material contrasting with the overall sobriety of the form.

The lightly grayed glass is crisscrossed with fine bubbles and irregularities characteristic of handcrafted production. The material remains alive, never completely set, retaining the marks of the gesture.

Internal deposits are visible on both pieces. Far from altering their reading, they bear witness to real, prolonged use, inscribing these objects in a domestic continuity that has now disappeared.

The ensemble is fully in keeping with the productions of the Massif Central, where utilitarian objects frequently retain an expressive dimension, sometimes discreet, sometimes more assertive. This tension between necessity and freedom gives rise here to simple yet inhabited forms.

These troughs are not the result of standardized production, but of work in which each piece bears its own variations, deviations, sometimes hesitations - all elements that participate in their presence.

Condition : Very good overall condition. Healthy, crack-free glass. Traces of internal deposits related to use. Slight surface irregularities inherent to manufacture.

Dimensions:

Height: 22 cm and 18 cm

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