Christofle vase with two fish

Metal vase patinated with two fish. Christofle stamp in the shape of a bird. Unglazed version without base (fixing holes) of the vase presented at the exhibition of the union des arts décoratifs of 1874, entered in 2019 in the collections of the musée d'orsay (donation of the society of friends, acquired for sale waddington's, june 2018). During the exhibition at the pavillon de l'industrie in 1871, emile reiber (1826-1896), architect by training, precursor of japonism, author of the first logotype of larousse, "i sow to all winds", spent his mornings drawing the oriental art objects of the cernuschi collection. Having become director of the clothing workshops at christofle, he drew from his sketches the motif of several achievements, including this vase inspired by a japanese model (cernuschi museum). The preparatory drawing is kept in the christofle archives. Orsay's model is reproduced on the front cover of the book published in the citadelles collection by mazenod: s. Mouquin, a. Bos, s. Hellal, les arts décoratifs en europe. Elise dubreuil, curator at the musée d'orsay, points out the rarity of this vase "exceptional by its size, the quality of its design". Library.: masuda yoko, emile reiber (1826-1893), chief draughtsman at christofle, et l'art oriental, thèse, 2006.