Pair of vases from the Pantin Crystal Factory

Description

 

Pair of vases "Flowers in Emerald"

Colored glass, enamel, gilding

France, Pantin Crystal Factory, late 19th century

Height: 30 cm

Condition: very good condition

Expertise: attribution confirmed (document available)

This pair of vases is a characteristic example of late 19th-century French art glass, a period during which the decorative arts sought intense color, rich ornamentation, and a truly pictorial quality in the object. Color, decoration, and form unite here in a perfectly coherent composition.

The vases are made of glass tinted throughout in a deep emerald green. This intense coloring preserves the material's translucency while giving it remarkable depth and interior luminosity. The uniformity of the hue testifies to the quality of the craftsmanship and contributes significantly to the overall decorative effect.

The slender body rises towards a wide-spreading neck whose undulating edge evokes a corolla in full bloom. The pronounced folds of the glass give this upper section an almost sculptural presence. This type of organic silhouette, highly prized in the last decades of the 19th century, already foreshadows the formal explorations of Art Nouveau.

The decoration combines enameled floral painting with finely worked gilding. The flowers, rendered with fluidity and nuance, unfold to the full height of the vases. The gilded motifs form a network of arabesques and openwork reserves, reminiscent in places of filigree work. Against the emerald background, the interplay between the pale flowers and the gold creates a particularly refined contrast that structures the entire composition.

The production is attributed to the Cristallerie de Pantin, one of the major centers of French glassmaking in the second half of the 19th century. The factory is particularly known for its colored glass, its elaborate enamel decorations, and its generous use of gilding, reflecting the decorative tastes of the period.

This pair belongs to a transitional period between the aesthetics of the Second Empire and the early developments of Art Nouveau. The rich ornamentation and gilding remain inherited from the 19th century, while the plant motifs and fluid lines already foreshadow a new artistic sensibility.

The quality of execution is evident in the consistency of the coloring, the finesse of the shaping, the precision of the undulating edge, the delicacy of the enamel painting, and the excellent preservation of the gilding. The enamel's relief subtly enlivens the surface and alters the perception of the motifs depending on the lighting.

The emerald color remains the main expressive element of this pair. Combined with floral painting and gilding, it creates a decorative ensemble with a strong visual presence, representative of the best French productions of the late 19th century, at the crossroads of art glass and the first stirrings of Art Nouveau.