Vase

This vase was made by one of the foremost art-metal manufacturers of the 19th century, the large Parisian company of Christofle & Company. The model for this vase was first shown on their stand at the Vienna Weltausstellung (World's Fair) in 1873 and again at the Exposition Universelle (Universal Exhibition) in Paris in 1878. The designs for the enamelled plaques, which were drawn by the head of the company's design studio, Emile Reiber and dated May 1872, survive in the Christofle archives. Many international influences inspired the decoration of the vase, from Egyptian 'key' patterns to imitation Indian silver inlays. The enamel plaques, speak to a European interest in Japanese styles.

Vase · Paris · 1873-78. Electroformed copper, cast copper alloy, patinated, gilded and electroplated; gilded enamel plaques. By Reiber, Emile. Victoria and Albert Museum, London.