Domien ingels for ceramaes 'turkey' rare polychrome animal sculpture c

Rare large animal sculpture in polychrome glazed ceramic representing a turkey displaying its tail, created by Domien Ingels and produced by Ceramaes in Ghent, circa 1930. The subject is treated with great presence: the compact and strongly modelled body contrasts with the large tail fanned out, whose feathers are suggested by a particularly expressive relief and glaze work. The head and neck, vividly coloured in red and black, add an almost naturalistic accent to an otherwise highly stylised composition, characteristic of Belgian Art Deco animal sculpture. The monogram "D.I." appears on the base, beneath the glaze, which is consistent with the signatures found on Domien Ingels' animal ceramics for Ceramaes. At 21 cm in height, this example stands out distinctly from the smaller versions of turkeys known in this production, generally around 9 to 10 cm. The subject itself is part of Ingels' animal repertoire, but this large-sized version with polychrome decoration seems notably less common. Some fine crazing and small original firing defects are visible in the glaze, particularly on the tail. They appear to be related to the firing process and the thickness of the glaze rather than subsequent accidents, this type of phenomenon being quite frequent on large glazed ceramics from this period. Biography. Domien Ingels (1881-1946) is one of the important figures in Belgian animal sculpture in the first half of the 20th century. Born and active in Ghent, he developed a body of work largely dedicated to animals, which he treated in both bronze and ceramic. He collaborated notably with Roger Guérin in Bouffioulx and with the Maes/Ceramaes workshops in Ghent, for which he created several animal models in stoneware and glazed ceramic. His work is situated within the tradition of large Belgian animal sculpture from the interwar period.