Drawing on Japan
Ceramics designed by the artist Félix Bracquemond pioneered the use of motifs drawn from Japanese art in 19th-century French decorative arts. Larry Simms publishes here two extraordinary overlooked porcelain services by Bracquemond that add greatly to our understanding of his career.
Larry Simms, Monday, 25th August 2008
4 I have examined 110 pieces from the Service figures et accessoires japonais and counted more than four dozen different ‘accessories.’ Some are identical but in different sizes. Most are 7.5 cm in height or smaller. However, there are seven motifs measuring between 10 to 12.5 cm. Given the total number of both small and large accessoires subjects, it is likely that Bracquemond must have executed four or five more etchings for this service to furnish the transfer prints for all these motifs. However, no examples of these etchings have yet been located.
5 10 of the ‘accessories’ images were copied from Hokusai’s Manga, vol III, p. 58; three from vol III, p. 34; one from vol III, p. 35; and one from vol X, p. 15. I have, as of yet, not been able to identify the other Japanese prints from which Bracquemond borrowed the remainder of the images.
6 Hokusai, Manga, vol III, p. 58.
7 Tarif des porcelaines et des faïences de Haviland & Co, Limoges., 1879, p. 54. The catalogue refers to the geisha service as Décor figures et accessoires japonais.
8 Though both the Service Rousseau and the Service figures et accessoires japonais were done as complete table services, I have chosen to focus on table plates from both services for comparison. Comparing the flat images on the etchings and on nearly flat table plates rather than on more three-dimensional serving pieces most readily reveals the similarities and differences.
9 A specially commissioned set of dinner plates and soup bowls from this service has the conjoined monogram ‘D B’ added to the two supplemental accessoires images (Fig. 3).
10 The cups, saucers, and small berry bowls for the Service figures et accessories japonais use only the supplementary Japoniste accessoires decorative objects with no geisha images. Additionally, there is an extant dessert or ice cream set (private collection) that also has only the supplementary images and no geisha images.
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