The large vase with ferns and little birds by Galileo Chini, created between 1920 and 1925, represents a particularly refined example of the ceramic production of the Tuscan artist, a central figure of Italian Art Nouveau and of the decorative arts of the early twentieth century. Founder of the Arte della Ceramica manufactory and protagonist of important international experiences, Chini in fact developed an original decorative language, capable of combining Symbolist suggestions, Oriental influences and technical research.
In this work, the surface of the vase is animated by a rich decoration composed of fern branches, small birds, floral elements and spiral motifs, distributed according to a continuous and harmonious rhythm. However, the composition maintains remarkable visual lightness thanks to the balance between the decorated areas and the luminous lustre ground. The intense blue of the ornamental motifs, applied over the warm and iridescent ground of the salt-glazed stoneware, in fact creates a refined chromatic contrast that enhances the slender structure of the vase.
Moreover, the choice of salt-glazed stoneware testifies to Chini’s interest in technical experimentation and in ceramics of high material quality. The surfaces present vibrant effects and tonal variations that accentuate the artisanal character of the work.
On the other hand, the naturalistic decorative repertoire fully reflects the Art Nouveau taste, oriented towards fluid lines and motifs inspired by the vegetal and animal world. Overall, this vase therefore constitutes a significant example of Galileo Chini’s poetics, in which decoration, linear elegance and chromatic research merge in a balance of great refinement.
Description: Salt-glazed stoneware, decorated with fern branches, small birds, flowers, curls, painted in blue on a lustre ground, marked in blue with grid within circle and inscription CHINI & CO. MUGELLO (ITALIA) and 427/2591, H cm 61 – mouth diameter cm 18 – base diameter cm 17.
Publication: La Manifattura Chini dall’Arte della Ceramica alle Fornaci di S. Lorenzo – Centro Di, 1979 Florence and Museo Internazionale delle Ceramiche – Faenza, Cat. 114, p. 105 no. 142.
Provenance: Private Collection – Borgo San Lorenzo.
Hammer Price: € 8.680,00
Auction 39 – 7 July 2020 – Design and 20th Century Decorative Art
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