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Ashcombe Museum of Art & History
Decorative Arts & Design

Vase

Permanent ExhibitionMetalworkVessel

Details

Author / creator
Firm of Ferdinand Barbedienne (French, 1810–1892)
Object type
Metalwork
Date or period
c. 1862
Dimensions summary
Overall: 78.7 × 27.3 cm
Maker or workshop
Firm of Ferdinand Barbedienne
Period / style
Historicism
Place of origin
France
Acquisition method
Donation
Credit line
Gift of the Pemberton family, 1996

About this object

This vase vibrantly encapsulates the admiration for historical works of art and architecture that dominated the 1800s. It features stylistic qualities of ancient Egyptian, ancient Greek, and medieval Islamic art with its cat legs, amphora shape, and spiraling foliage ornamentation. The enameling technique itself, called champlevé, has roots in the ancient world. Champlevé enameling involves carving out sections of metal before filling those areas with colored enamel. The vase model was introduced at the International Exhibition of London in 1862, and its popularity resulted in several color and shape variations.

Materials and technique

Gilt bronze with enamel decoration

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