Gallé St Clément Vase With Japanese Decor Circa 1880

Exceptional and extremely rare vase with Japanese lake decoration depicting a pink flamingo and 3 frogs against a background of reeds on a starry night. Grand feu enamel on St Clément earthenware. Polychrome enamels enhanced with fine gold. The vase takes the esoteric Japanese shape of 3 intertwined crescent moons, a symbol taken up in the West from the 17th century and which today forms the coat of arms of the city of Bordeaux. Admire the work, the relief and the depth of the decor: it’s sumptuous! This piece is exceptional for its realism (it feels like you're at the edge of a pond on a summer night in Japan!), its precision of execution, its impeccable condition and its rarity (to our knowledge, only 1 similar vase has been presented in the auction room previously). It is a collaboration between Emile Gallé and the earthenware factories of St Clément (directed by his father), around 1875-1880. This is therefore the first period of Emile Gallé. We will provide the buyer with proof that this vase is indeed the result of the collaboration between the master of Art Nouveau and the St Clément earthenware factory. Impeccable condition! Dimensions: 26 cm H x 26 cm W x 7 cm D Without a doubt the most beautiful piece of Gallé we have owned.