Handled vase Charles Gréber, Beauvais – between Art Nouveau and Art Deco

Small handled vase by Charles Gréber, Beauvais: square handles, radiant decoration in slight relief of green, gray, and black on a speckled ochre background. Signed. H. 16 cm. The vase rests on a narrow ring foot. The body, almost spherical, narrows into a short cylindrical neck. On either side, two flat handles with a rectangular section extend horizontally from the lip and then drop at a right angle onto the shoulder. Their square design, without curves, contrasts with the roundness of the body and already belongs to the geometric vocabulary of Art Deco. On each side, a radiant motif in slight bas-relief occupies the center of the body: a dark heart, almost black, from which branches dotted with small beads emerge, surrounded by a crown of petals or leaves in green and bluish gray. Frontal and almost symmetrical, the motif is stylized to the point that one hesitates between flower and rosette: nature becomes emblematic. It is perceived as much through the relief as through the color, with the enamels accumulating in the hollows and thinning on the edges. The black takes on a metallic sheen in places, while the greens and grays remain matte. Surrounding it, the ochre and beige background is speckled with brown, in drips that follow the curve of the body up to the handles. These poured enamels and this vegetal repertoire further connect the piece to the tradition of the workshop, likely placing it at the junction of the two styles, between the 1910s and 1930s. The unglazed underside bears the incised signature "C. Greber" in cursive, partially legible.