Saint-clément – Blue-and-white Japanese-style Flower Vase, 19th Century

Saint-Clément Manufactory, Lorraine.

A rare and elegant Japanese-style flower vase made of blue-and-white glazed earthenware, produced in the second half of the 19th century.

The colors are vibrant and this piece immediately catches the eye with its design and beauty.

This flower vase features a particularly original composition, consisting of two tall scrolls of different sizes, joined by gnarled branches rendered in relief. Their shape evokes bamboo stalks, accentuated by ties also modeled in relief.

The scrolls are adorned with a rich botanical design painted in shades of blue, featuring flowers, foliage, and fern fronds. The entire piece rests on a dynamic base depicting stylized clouds.

With its asymmetry, naturalistic decoration, evocation of bamboo, and sculptural silhouette, this flower vase fully reflects the influence of Japonism on French decorative arts in the second half of the 19th century. It also reflects the spirit of the experiments conducted during the same period by Émile Gallé, some of whose earthenware creations were produced by the Saint-Clément factory.

This stylistic similarity is noted as a historical comparison ; the piece bears no signature by Émile Gallé.

Handwritten signature in blue “SCl” on the base, indicating the Saint-Clément factory.

Period: second half of the 19th century.

Height: 27.5 cm.

Condition: minor chipping and some missing enamel, particularly at the tips of the branches, along the borders, and on the cloud motifs of the base. Wear consistent with the piece’s age. See the detailed photographs. The piece is in good condition despite the minor chips.