Lot no. 21
Delphin MASSIER (1836 - 1907)
Owl vase
Ceramic with lustre glaze
Signed and localised 'DELPHIN MASSIER / VALLORIS (A.M.)' on the underside
Height : 32 cm
(Minor damage, small restoration to the owl's left ear and small chip to the bass)
Owl vase, ceramic, signed, by D. Massier
H. 12.60 in.
Provenance: Lucien Levy-Dhurmer Collection (1865-1953) ;
Gérard Lévy Collection;
Then by descent
Exhibitions: Autour de Levy-Dhurmer / Visionnaires et Intimistes en 1900, Paris, Galeries nationales du Grand Palais, 3 March - 30 April 1973, cat. no. 56: "Vase", reproduced p. 41
Les Massier: côté cour, côté jardin, Vallauris, Musée Magnelli - Musée de la Céramique, 4 July - 2 November 2009, reproduced p. 46: "Vase au hibou Vase with owl".
The son of a dynasty of ceramists who had lived in Vallauris since the 17th century, Delphin Massier played a part in the revival of the decorative arts at the end of the 19th century, with technical innovations brought about by industrialisation and colourful decorations that were either naturalistic or Orientalist. From the collection of Lucien Lévy-Dhurmer, our vase belongs to the symbolist part of his work, combining a lunar mountain landscape with the strange silhouette of an owl spreading its wings, the mysterious guardian of our dreams and other nocturnal thoughts.
Delphin MASSIER (1836 - 1907)
The son of a dynasty of ceramists who had lived in Vallauris since the 17th century, Delphin Massier played a part in the revival of the decorative arts at the end of the 19th century, with technical innovations brought about by industrialisation and colourful decorations that were either naturalistic or orientalist. From the collection of Lucien Lévy-Dhurmer, our vase belongs to the symbolist part of his work, combining a lunar mountain landscape with the strange silhouette of an owl spreading its wings, the mysterious guardian of our dreams and other nocturnal thoughts.
