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Details
- Dimensions
- 7.88ʺW × 3.94ʺD × 3.93ʺH
- Styles
- Art Deco
- Period
- 1930s
- Country of Origin
- France
- Item Type
- Vintage, Antique or Pre-owned
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- Materials
- Ceramic
- Condition
- Good Condition, Original Condition Unaltered, Some Imperfections
- Color
- White
- Condition Notes
- Wear consistent with age and use. The item is in good condition and has a small and barely visible chip … moreWear consistent with age and use. The item is in good condition and has a small and barely visible chip on the corner of the base (see photo). less
- Description
-
We kindly suggest that you read the entire description, as with it we try to give you detailed technical and …
more
We kindly suggest that you read the entire description, as with it we try to give you detailed technical and historical information to guarantee the authenticity of our objects.
Beautiful Art Deco sculpture in white craquelé ceramic depicting a pair of panthers; the noble animals are depicted walking, with their plush stride, in the tall grass in a calm and relaxed attitude; the powerful muscles of the beasts are relaxed, but the representation is always charged with strength and pride, a classic example of the Art Deco style that exalted in its artistic expressions the forms, strength, and power of both humans and animals. The object features very distinctive workmanship: the piece of raw ceramic was first molded into its final soft and elegant form, then fired at about 1000° C, then an ancient technique was used by applying "crystalline" (a transparent vitreous coating) with an ox brush; then distributed, again with a brush, white glaze over the entire body of the panthers; the glazing stage requires a lot of skill, as the glaze must be evenly deposited on the surface of the object, at which point, very quickly, to fix the glaze, the piece was put into the kiln between 920 and 940 degrees for the final firing. By looking at the underside we can better understand this technique. The panther pair was made between 1930 and 1933 in the Luneville area of France in the style of the Saint-Clement pottery manufacturer. Luneville's Saint Clement (founded in 1758) is a famous French ceramic manufactory located in Luneville, in the Lorraine region. Saint-Clement's production, and that of the entire Luneville area, is known for its high quality and variety of styles. Over the centuries, the factory and artisans in the area have produced a wide range of ceramic wares, including plates, vases, figurines, sculptures, and decorative objects. The production is distinguished by the beauty of the decorations, attention to detail, and the use of bright colors. Our sculpture also has another special feature: the "craquelé" finish of the pottery. Craquelure in painting is the dense network of cracks that forms on the surface of paintings; it is often used to determine the age of a painting and thus uncover any fakes. The decorating industry, towards the end of the eighteenth century, when the trend was to decorate with objects with a strong reference to antiquity, invented the aging technique of craquelure to offer it in the manufacture of a wide variety of objects and materials such as ceramics and glass. This technique can be carried out with a chemical method, acting on the enamel of the object with special products that affect it uniformly with a lattice effect. Still, the best method is the Japanese processing technique called Raku, which involves a special type of firing of the enamel at high temperatures, which is then cooled by extracting it quickly from the kiln, this process, in which it is necessary to carefully and precisely respect certain times and temperatures, inevitably creates the formation of craquelé effect cracks on the enameled surface; the raku technique makes it possible to create objects of unique and unrepeatable design; the artisans of Luneville carried out this operation after the last firing in the sculpture kiln. Today, the products of Saint-Clement, and those of the entire Luneville region, are still highly sought after, and the manufactory has maintained its reputation for excellence in the field of artistic ceramics. The item is in good condition and has a small and barely visible chip on the corner of the base (see photo). Measures width cm.38, depth cm.20, height cm.10. We use special packaging materials (custom-made wooden crates, styrofoam, etc.) for maximum protection and safety of the objects. less
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