Two-handled stoneware vase from Marlotte

Whether you are a fan of art nouveau or simply a lover of beautiful artisanal ceramics, you will love this small stoneware vase with two handles from the Marlotte art pottery, founded in 1902 by Emile Mousseux and Aristide Bézard. The vase, signed Marlotte under its base, was produced before 1916, the date on which Aristide Bézard died and Emile Mousseux, now the sole head of the company, added the monogram EM to his creations. In the art nouveau style, this vase borrows its organic shape and curves, as well as the asymmetry of its handles with slightly irregular contours. It is matte and soft to the touch, as if the stoneware had been naturally polished by the years. The enameling is superb and the play of textures and colors remarkable: the surface has a relief appearance and reveals different layers of colors in natural tones: beige, green, verdigris, brown, gray, khaki, with a few hints of blue with a slightly shiny finish that brighten up the whole. The vase is in very good general condition and has a magnificent patina in keeping with its age. It has no cracks or scratches.