Pair of Vases ("Vase Emaille")

Manufacturer Manufacture nationale de Sèvres (French, 1740-present)

Place of OriginSèvres, France

Date1903

Dimensions12 7/8 × 3 5/16 × 3 5/16 in. (32.7 × 8.4 × 8.4 cm)

MediumMolded and painted porcelain (pâte nouvelle)

ClassificationCeramics

Credit LinePurchased with funds from the Florence Scott Libbey Bequest in Memory of her Father, Maurice A. Scott

Object number

1991.68

On View

Toledo Museum of Art Glass Pavilion (2444 Monroe Street), Glass Study Room GP

Label TextStylized chrysanthemums, their blooms seen unexpectedly from their edge, adorn this pair of Art Nouveau vases from the premier French porcelain company, Sèvres. The vases were a collaboration between modeler Henri Brécy and decorator Jeanne Leroux, who was active at Sèvres from 1896 to 1906. She and other young Sèvres designers at the turn of the 20th century pursued modern and innovative designs, keeping the venerable porcelain company relevant and influential. Established in the early 18th century, the Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory was financially backed by the kings of France from 1759 until the overthrow of the French monarchy in 1789. Adapting to new demand from the increasingly wealthy middle-class, Sèvres continued to make superb porcelain throughout the 1800s and into the 1900s, especially under the tenure of architect Alexandre Sandier as artistic director (1897–1916).