Gourd vase
(c. 1903)
- Medium
- earthenware
- Measurements
- 18.8 × 13.3 × 12.5 cm
- Place/s of Execution
- Lunéville, Lorraine, France
- Inscription
- painted in blue on base u.c.: K G / Lunéville / Bussière (underlined)
- Accession Number
- 2020.215
- Department
- International Decorative Arts
- Credit Line
- National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Gift of Krystyna Campbell-Pretty AM and Family through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program, 2020 - Gallery location
- Mid 20th Century Paintings & Decorative Arts Gallery
Level 2, NGV International - About this work
-
Ernest Bussière trained as a sculptor at the École des Beaux-Arts, Paris but is most well known for his naturalistically inspired plant-form vessels, made by the Keller & Guérin manufactory. This vase, representing a gourd in the later stages of decay, is a beautiful example of the soft, unctuous glazes that Bussière was able to achieve, the subtle velvety sheen giving the vase an almost furry appearance. Bussière’s profound interest in nature reveals the influence of Japanese art and the reverence that Japanese artists held for the natural world. Such fascination for nature was one of the key inspirations of the Art Nouveau style.
