designed 1896–97; made 1897
French/Belgian
Calligraphy
Containers
Decorative Arts
stoneware, enamel
Overall: 14 1/2 × 19 × 18 1/2 in. (36.83 × 48.26 × 46.99 cm)
81.27
This cachepot, or flower pot holder, represents a successful collaboration between an artist and a manufacturer of the Art Nouveau period. In 1896-97 Philippe Wolfers designed a series of bronze cachepots which were later used as models for ceramics made by the firm of Émile Müller. The rich enamel glazes on the orchids and leaves enhance their sculptural forms as well as the shape of the bowl.
Inscribed (bottom): Wolfers
Sydney and Frances Lewis Art Nouveau Fund
A similar bronze version of this piece was displayed at the International Exhibition, Brussels, 1897;

A similar ceramics version of this piece was displayed at the Salon of the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts, Paris, 1898;

A similar bronze version of this piece was displayed at the Secession Exhibition, Munich, 1898;

A similar bronze version of this piece was displayed at the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative Arts, Turin, 1902
Werner Adriaenssens, "Philippe Wolfers en de Renaissance van de Ivoorsnijkunst in Belgie," Bulletin des Musees Royaux d'art et d'Histoire, 2000, vol. 71, p. 101;

Philippe und Marcel Wolfers, Museum Bellerive Zurich, 1993, pp. 9, 13, 68, nos. 69, 86;

Image released via Creative Commons CC-BY-NC

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