Looking for the perfect gift that combines art and function, or the right accessory to decorate a dull room, or an eccentric conversation piece for you to lovingly adore and your sophisticated friends to look at with envy? Topping the list should be porcelain vases or vessels, one of the most popular decorative objects favored by artisans, collectors, and consumers with a discriminating eye.
The making of porcelain has a long, rich history beginning with pot making fired from clay that originated in 10,000 B.C., and as an aesthetic representation of an epoch, porcelain with its ornamentation, mixed styles and imagery, reflect the social mores of a culture. A few examples from the 18th century to the present-day offer traces of cultural and historical influences as porcelain is transformed from clay pots into its contemporary sculptural form.
Trendsetters David Klein and James Reid’s Long Island City atelier is where the pair talk -color, texture, pattern and function, use a hybrid of new and old techniques to shape and mold in clay, then fire up their exquisite handmade porcelain designs. The new collection, “Aubrey,” was inspired by the illustrations of the 19th century British artist and author Aubrey Beardsley. A departure from the smooth glazed surfaces, the “Aubrey’s” finely carved raised patterns can be referenced back to earlier pieces made in the 1990’s and the 2004 “Stilllife with Flowers” collection, but the craftsmanship by deft hands is far more apparent. www.kleinreid.com
Want to safe keep your tea leaves? A stunning late 18th century Chinese Celadon Temple Jar (a slight departure from a vase was selected for its sheer beauty) from the Jiaqing Period (1796-1820) is made from earthenware with celadon porcelain glaze and white porcelain with an overlay of a raised floral motif. The metal band and lock secured the treasured rare tea blends from the prying eyes of members of the Royal Household. vandm.com dealer John J. Nelson Antiques, 310 652 2103.
Having trouble focusing the eye as you gaze at Danish designer Agnes Fries’s playful collection of vases for Bottino? Moving around shapes and graphic decorations resulted in new patterns and shapes. Standing the vases side by side loses the focal point for the viewer for dizzying effect. The technique of applying overglaze accent color on top of fired porcelain is a technique mastered by the Chinese. Kahlerdesign.com
As simple yet complicated as the Agnes Fries designs appear, the bold, dazzling Ovid shape Art Deco vase from the 1930’s atelier of Charles Catteau of the famed Boch Freres Keramis factory in Belgium, dazzles in its decoration of printed contours traced with ochre slip, filled with matte cobalt, orange, watery green and black enamel on a white background. Catteau introduced decorative influences as disparate as cubism and Japan. TOJ Gallery, susan@tojgallery.com , 410 626 0770
For the connoisseur these fine examples of 19th century Neoclassical Sevres Style Porcelain Lidded vases “pop ” in its mix of bleu celeste grounds, with Neoclassical female caryatid handles and painted reserves depicting flowers and cherubs. The Sevres factory in France was a large producer of porcelain for nearly a century. vintageviews@optonline.net, http://vandm.com/VintageViews 201 216 1544
Seamlessly executed and architectural with its long neck and rounded base, this 1960’s red/orange ceramic vase by Toni Raymond is the epitome of mid-20th century design. vandm.com dealer Cain Modern cain@cainmodern.com, 310 652 6045
A small sampling, but the marketplace offers a variety of styles from affordable to over-the-top high-end prices tags for collectibles.
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