Dated October 1893

Vase

French, 1855 - 1930

In 1870 fifteen-year-old Edmond Lachenal apprenticed himself to the renowned ceramicist Theodore Deck. At the Deck studio in Paris, Lachenal not only learned the techniques of making ceramics but also became exposed to the Japanese and Turkish Iznik models that Deck was already appropriating for his vases, plaques, and sculptural objects. Lachenal carried these non-Western forms and techniques with him when he left Deck and continued experimenting in his own, independent studio at Châtillon-sur-Bagneux from 1883. By 1893 Lachenal had achieved his famous émail mat velouté (matte velvet opaque enamel), a soft matte finish achieved through the use of hydrofluoric acid on glazed surfaces. The technique allowed the bamboo-stem handles and bamboo leaves that decorate this vase to retain a glossy finish, while the velvety matte surface of the vase is developed in a nonglossy, light color.