Boule Vase Of St-jean-du-désert By Emile Long

This superb ball vase was made in 1925 by the earthenware factory of St-Jean du Désert in Marseille, under number 11 of its catalog.
This factory, active between 1921 and 1959, was created in the tradition of the factory of the same name which shone between 1678 and 1764. It is renowned for the golden yellow of its master earthenware François Rizzo, which no one has ever been able to reproduce.

This vase is signed by Emile Long, a talented painter who, from 1923, supervised with F. Pourchier the thirty or so earthenware artists. Of all the signatures affixed to the decorations of this pottery, Emile Long was the most popular, and he became head decorator in 1924.
A past master in Provençal decorations, he participated, among other great French artists, in the decoration of the Palace of Abdina of King of Egypt Fouad I, which can be visited in Cairo since 2019.

The piece has a slight chip and a small defect of enamel towards its underside (see photo).

Sources:
Marks and signatures of Provence art ceramics, by Jean-Claude Martin; Sudarènes editions.
The earthenware of Saint-Jean-du-Désert by J and A. Rafaelli; Maeght editor.
Slushes from the Côte d’Azur by Maryse Bottero; Massin editions.