Gourd Vase

Ceramist Taxile Doat learned the complex process of firing porcelain clay and metallic glazes while working as a designer and decorator at the well-established Sèvres National Porcelain Manufactory. But it was nearby in what he called his “experimental laboratory” that he produced his most avant-garde creations, including this gourd-shaped vase. Doat was part of a larger studio pottery movement in France at the turn of the 20th century. These artists rejected references to past Western styles and instead explored surface effect and the plastic qualities of clay, often influenced by the simple organic forms and rich glazes of the Chinese Qing dynasty. This vase’s deep red glaze is known as sang-de boeuf, or oxblood, which was achieved through the use of copper. Writing in 1905, Doat remarked on the “marvelous” visual qualities and “suggestive and bizarre names” of Qing dynasty glazes. A fascination with color and texture defined Doat’s work at the Villa Kaolin.