Presenting a beautifully executed piece of Mid Century Modernist influence by Zsolnay.
Zsolnay are renowned for their Eosin glaze and designer Gabriella Törzsök combined this glaze with a technique which created the textured 'cracked panel' or 'reptile skin' decor and is referenced in the book 'Zsolnay Collecting a Culture.' by Federico Santi, John Gacher.
The underlying vase is of a warm gold yellow, which can be seen on the vases interior and shines through the highly tactile red decor. The red Eosin decor has also been applied in an ombre effect with the intensity of the glaze beginning at the rim, this graduates downwards into a paler shade at the 'shoulders; and 'belly' of the vase before finishing in the deeper shade once more at the base of the vase.
This piece would suit a room with Mid Century, Modernist or Contemporary design themed decor.
CONDITION
Very Good, with no chips, cracks or scratches to the body of the vase. There is light wear to the glaze which is commensurable with the age of the piece. The most significant wear is on the underside base of the vase, however, this is not visible when the vase is upright - please do see photos as part of the description. The base of vase bears the Zsolnay three shield stamp, 'Zsolnay Pécs, MADE IN HUNGARY', mark was used between 1920 and 1960.
MEASUREMENTS
c. 8" / 20 cm tall x c. 4.7" / 12 cm in diameter (across the bodys widest point).
Base diameter c. 2.5" / 6.3 cm
Unpackaged weight: c. 0.5 kg / 550 g
NOTES
Vase will be securely packaged and shipping will be insured.
Shipping will be combined for multiple items.
A BIT OF HISTORY
Zsolnay is a Hungarian manufacturer of porcelain and stoneware. The company introduced the eosin glazing process and pyrogranite ceramics. The factory was established by Miklós Zsolnay (1800–1880) in Pécs, Hungary, to produce stoneware and other ceramics in 1853.
In 1863, his son, Vilmos Zsolnay (1828–1900) joined the company and became its manager and director after several years. Vilmos led the factory to worldwide recognition by demonstrating its innovative products at world fairs and international exhibitions, including the 1873 World Fair in Vienna, then at the 1878 World Fair in Paris, where Zsolnay received a Grand Prix.
Many Zsolnay ceramics are noted for the use of the eosin process that was introduced in 1893. The process results in a light red iridescence of the first prepared hue, hence the term eosin (Greek eos, flush of dawn). Different eosin colours and processes were developed over time. The eosin-based iridescence became a favourite of art nouveau and Jugendstil artists, among them Sándor Apáti Abt, Lajos Mack, Géza Nikelszky, and József Rippl-Rónai.
The secret eosin glaze renders porcelain to appear iridescent metallic, in different colours that change with the angle of reflection. Typical colours include shades of green, red, blue, and purple.
Sang de boeuf
(French: “oxblood”) also called flambé glaze, a glossy, rich, bloodred glaze often slashed with streaks of purple or turquoise used to decorate pottery, particularly porcelain. The effect is produced by a method of firing that incorporates copper, a method first discovered by the Chinese of the Ming dynasty. The process was at first difficult to control, but it had been mastered by the time of Kanxi (1661–1722) and chuihong, or “blown red” glaze ware, became popular.
The langyao porcelain of the Qing dynasty was imitated in Europe, especially in the porcelain factory at Sèvres, France, which produced a substantial amount of sang de boeuf in the late 19th century. The process was also used by individual craftspeople, notably the British potter Bernard Moore (1850–1935).