Art Nouveau Flower Pot / Cache-pot, Jerome Massier, Vallauris, c. 1900

A beautiful and impressive Art Nouveau-style flower pot, jardinière, or cache-pot, crafted from polychrome-glazed earthenware by Jérôme Massier (1850–1926) for Vallauris, circa 1900; marked and signed on the underside. The Massier family from Vallauris is renowned for three family members who produced majolica during the second half of the nineteenth century. In 1860, Jérôme Massier joined his cousins ​​Delphin and Clement Massier; together, they began producing ceramics in a style that bridged the gap between traditional Victorian majolica and Art Nouveau earthenware. The Massiers mastered the ‘flambé’ glazing technique—based on copper oxide—introducing an intensely vibrant color palette, including shades of red, green, and blue, which had not been seen before in English majolica. This large flower pot is in very good antique condition. It shows signs of age and use consistent with its vintage—such as minor discoloration—but is free of cracks or fractures. There are a few small chips in the glaze along the rim; please refer to the photographs for further details. Dimensions: 33 X 32 X 22.5 cm. Weight: 2.851 kg.