Vase
ca. 1895 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This vase is by the French ceramicist Ernest Chaplet (1835-1909). From the age of 12, Chaplet began his training at Sèvres in decoration, design and ceramic techniques. He later worked at Choisy-le-Roi, for the Laurin pottery at Bourg-la-Reine and then for the Limoges company Charles Haviland & co. in a pottery established in Auteuil, Paris. In 1885 Haviland set him up in rue Blomet, Vaugirard, a workshop that was ceded to him in 1886. From then on Chaplet worked independently, moving back to Choisy-le-Roi in 1887 where he became increasingly preoccupied with porcelain and the high temperature glazes in which he specialised, experimenting endlessly.
The distinctive colouring of this vase demonstrates Chaplet's interest in glaze effects and is inspired by Chinese ceramics. The high-temperature copper-red flammée glazes of 18th century Chinese porcelain became the subject of intensive research and experiment in the years around 1900, both by factories and individual makers. Their re-creation depended entirely on the potter's knowledge of chemistry as well as his skill at firing these dramatic and unpredictable glazes. The technique produced a range of colours from a deep bright red through a spectrum of violet, blue, green, purple and combinations of all of these. Chaplet kept his own recipes a closely guarded secret. Towards the end of his life, when blindness brought his career as a potter to its end, Chaplet destroyed all his notebooks. His ceramics were highly prized by his contemporaries and many were set with silver mounts, emphasising their precious quality.
The distinctive colouring of this vase demonstrates Chaplet's interest in glaze effects and is inspired by Chinese ceramics. The high-temperature copper-red flammée glazes of 18th century Chinese porcelain became the subject of intensive research and experiment in the years around 1900, both by factories and individual makers. Their re-creation depended entirely on the potter's knowledge of chemistry as well as his skill at firing these dramatic and unpredictable glazes. The technique produced a range of colours from a deep bright red through a spectrum of violet, blue, green, purple and combinations of all of these. Chaplet kept his own recipes a closely guarded secret. Towards the end of his life, when blindness brought his career as a potter to its end, Chaplet destroyed all his notebooks. His ceramics were highly prized by his contemporaries and many were set with silver mounts, emphasising their precious quality.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Porcelain, glazed, with silver mounts |
| Brief description | Porcelain vase, made by Ernest Chaplet, Choisy-le-Roi, ca. 1895 |
| Physical description | Porcelain vase with high temperature flambé glaze and silver mounts.Ovoid body with short neck and spreading lip. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | (unmarked) |
| Gallery label | 'American and European Art and Design 1800-1900'
After years of perfecting firstly the 'barbotine' technique and then stonewares and stoneware glazes for the Haviland factory, Chaplet set up independently in 1885 to concentrate on porcelains and high-temperature glazes. He began to experiment at a workshop in Rue Vaugirard in Paris ceded to him by Haviland's. He exhibited his first successful pieces at L'Union Centrale in 1887 when he moved to Choisy-le-Roi. Expert interest was aroused and his reputation as a master of flambé glazes grew. He was awarded a Grand Prix at the Paris 1900 Exhibition.(1987-2006) |
| Credit line | Bequeathed by Henry Louis Florence, Esq. |
| Object history | Register note: 'Stated by Mr Van der Pant to have benn bought at the Glasgow Exhibition.' Historical significance: Ernest Chaplet (1835-1909), born at Sèvres, began work at the State factory at the age of 12. He became a highly skilled ceramicist working in potteries at Choisy-le-Roi and Bourg-la-Reine and then for the Limoges manufacturers, the Haviland brothers at a new workshop in Auteuil. In 1881 Haviland provided him with a studio at rue Blomet, Vaugirard, Paris. There he developed high temperature glazes on porcelain, and on stoneware. In 1886 he bought the workshop and concentrated on these glazes, as an independent potter, keeping his glazes recipes and firing temperatures a closely-guarded secret. He was regarded by his contemporaries as the consummate ceramicist. Chaplet sold the workshop to August Delaherche in 1887 and moved back to Choisy-le-Roi where he specialised in porcelain. |
| Historical context | After years of perfecting firstly the 'barbotine' technique and then stonewares and stoneware glazes for the Haviland factory, Chaplet set up independently in 1885 to concentrate on porcelains and high-temperature glazes. He began to experiment at a workshop in Rue Vaugirard in Paris ceded to him by Haviland's. He exhibited his first successful pieces at L'Union Centrale in 1887 when he moved to Choisy-le-Roi. Expert interest was aroused and his reputation as a master of flambé glazes grew. He was awarded a Grand Prix at the Paris 1900 Exhibition. |
| Summary | This vase is by the French ceramicist Ernest Chaplet (1835-1909). From the age of 12, Chaplet began his training at Sèvres in decoration, design and ceramic techniques. He later worked at Choisy-le-Roi, for the Laurin pottery at Bourg-la-Reine and then for the Limoges company Charles Haviland & co. in a pottery established in Auteuil, Paris. In 1885 Haviland set him up in rue Blomet, Vaugirard, a workshop that was ceded to him in 1886. From then on Chaplet worked independently, moving back to Choisy-le-Roi in 1887 where he became increasingly preoccupied with porcelain and the high temperature glazes in which he specialised, experimenting endlessly. The distinctive colouring of this vase demonstrates Chaplet's interest in glaze effects and is inspired by Chinese ceramics. The high-temperature copper-red flammée glazes of 18th century Chinese porcelain became the subject of intensive research and experiment in the years around 1900, both by factories and individual makers. Their re-creation depended entirely on the potter's knowledge of chemistry as well as his skill at firing these dramatic and unpredictable glazes. The technique produced a range of colours from a deep bright red through a spectrum of violet, blue, green, purple and combinations of all of these. Chaplet kept his own recipes a closely guarded secret. Towards the end of his life, when blindness brought his career as a potter to its end, Chaplet destroyed all his notebooks. His ceramics were highly prized by his contemporaries and many were set with silver mounts, emphasising their precious quality. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | C.1280-1917 |
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| Record created | April 11, 2006 |
| Record URL |
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