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Gourd Vase

A work made of glazed porcelain.

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  • A work made of glazed porcelain.

Date:

1906

Artist:

Taxile Doat (French, 1851–1938)
Sevres, France

About this artwork

Ceramist Taxile Doat learned the complex process of firing porcelain clay and metallic glazes while working as a designer and decorator at the well-established Sèvres National Porcelain Manufactory. But it was nearby in what he called his “experimental laboratory” that he produced his most avant-garde creations, including this gourd-shaped vase. Doat was part of a larger studio pottery movement in France at the turn of the 20th century. These artists rejected references to past Western styles and instead explored surface effect and the plastic qualities of clay, often influenced by the simple organic forms and rich glazes of the Chinese Qing dynasty.

This vase’s deep red glaze is known as sang-de boeuf, or oxblood, which was achieved through the use of copper. Writing in 1905, Doat remarked on the “marvelous” visual qualities and “suggestive and bizarre names” of Qing dynasty glazes. A fascination with color and texture defined Doat’s work at the Villa Kaolin.

Status

On View, Gallery 245

Department

Applied Arts of Europe

Artist

Taxile Maximin Doat

Title

Gourd Vase

Place

Sèvres (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1906

Medium

Glazed porcelain

Dimensions

20.9 × 8.4 cm (8 1/4 × 3 3/8 in.)

Credit Line

Paul H. Leffmann Fund

Reference Number

2019.721

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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