Vase soliflore 1880 - 1900

This vase was created by Jean-Joseph Carriès, a French artist who died in 1894, made using stoneware. The soft grays, browns, and creams running across the surface aren't painted on, they're the result of mineral interactions in the high heat of the kiln. Carriès was deeply involved in the Arts and Crafts movement, where process was paramount. The emphasis was on the potter's skill, the way that the clay was mixed and manipulated, and also the ‘happy accidents’ that occurred in the firing. This vase has a deliberately earthy aesthetic, rejecting the industrial perfection so prized in mass production. Although the vase may look simple, it would have taken multiple firings to achieve this effect. The beauty of the vase lies in the way that Carriès harnessed the transformative power of the kiln. It is through this material alchemy that he achieved the vase’s extraordinary surface.