Pair Of Art Deco Vases Paul Milet Sèvres Millet

Pair of vases in typical Art Deco shape in enameled ceramic on octagonal chromed metal base, signed below PM Sèvres, signature used by Paul Milet from 1930 to 1945. Vases in very good condition. Only slight wear of the chrome on the back of one foot (see last photo) Height 30.5 cm, length 16 cm, width 10 cm. Paul Milet is a French ceramist born on January 25, 1870 in Sèvres, where he died on April 28, 1950. Paul Milet is the son of the ceramist Félix Optat Milet (1838-1911). After training in the laboratory of the Manufacture de Sèvres, he became a chemist and worked in the factory founded by his father in 1866 at 8, rue Troyon in Sèvres, a stone's throw from the Manufacture. From 1890, he gradually took over from his father. Like him, he continued to benefit from the collaboration of the artists of the Manufacture nationale de céramique de Sèvres. In 1899, he married Marie-Louise Gibert (known as Céline), whose brother Paul held a position as director at Haviland, a famous porcelain manufacturer from Limoges, in Paris. Paul Milet worked with his father Optat Milet until his death in 1911, then with his son Henri, a ceramic engineer, who was appointed director of the factory in 1931, which did not prevent father and son from working closely together. At the Salon des artistes français, Milet exhibited unique but also utilitarian pieces: inkwells, trinket trays, candlesticks. He received an honorary diploma at the Exposition des Arts du Feu in 1897. At the Universal Exhibition of 1900, he received a gold medal for his earthenware "of pleasant shapes, decorated by the most diverse processes, cloisonné enamels, enamels on gold foil. In all these decorations, made from good designs, Paul Milet uses with discernment the rich palette of enamels that he masters." He also appreciated the texture of stoneware and the Milet house then produced stoneware vases in the Art Nouveau style. He also presented some at the Exposition des arts décoratifs in 1902. Paul Milet also exhibited at the Palais Galliera during the Exposition de la Porcelaine in 1907, then in 1909 and 1911 at the Exposition des grès, faïences et terre cuits. He abandoned the production of porcelain after the First World War. Furthermore, because of his knowledge, he was called upon as a customs expert for imports from China. The Milets lived in an artistic environment. Paul Milet's collaborators were L. Narbonne, Émile Belet, Lucien d'Eaubonne, Lucien Simonnet and also Froment-Delormel from 1896 to 1899. Albert Dammouse and Jean Mayodon learned their trade as ceramicists at home. They distributed their production in the Delvaux boutique at 18, rue Royale in Paris, founded by Félix Optat Milet and his friend Clément Massier, and through the Grand dépôt located at 21-23, rue Drouot in Paris. Until 1925, Paul Milet had an exhibition room at 51, rue de Paradis, a district of Paris long devoted to tableware. Milet also distributed his production through department stores, La Samaritaine or Galeries Lafayette. He also had an exhibition gallery at 8, rue Troyon in Sèvres. Paul Milet began to sign his pieces "MP Sèvres" in a dotted circle, either when he joined the business or probably from 1911, after the death of his father Félix Optat Milet. Over the years, the Sèvres Porcelain Factory became concerned about the possible confusion between the productions of the one and the other. Threatened with a lawsuit, Paul Milet changed his mark by reversing the initials. On October 4, 1930, he registered the mark "PM Sèvres" in the same dotted circle. On July 16, 1945, a mark was registered, extending to "Sté Paul Milet et fils". Some pieces, probably older, are simply signed "Sèvres". Others are accompanied by the name of the artist who participated.