Vase c. 1900

This vase was created by Pierre-Adrien Dalpayrat, a 19th-century French ceramicist known for his innovative glazing techniques. The late 1800s were a time of immense change in France, marked by industrialization and a growing fascination with art from Japan and China. Dalpayrat’s work, like this vase, embodies this cross-cultural exchange, blending French art pottery with Asian aesthetics. The flambé glaze, with its vibrant reds and greens, was the result of years of experimentation to replicate Chinese oxblood glazes, and evokes a sense of natural forces, like fire and earth. The vase form and glazing create a sense of depth and movement, like you’re looking at a mossy rock face, carved by centuries of weather. Dalpayrat’s work invites us to consider the intersection of art, science, and culture. It speaks to the human desire to transform base materials into objects of beauty, reflecting our place in, and impact on, the natural world.