Gracefully tapered vases with flaring feet and rims are adorned with hand-applied decorati...
Gracefully tapered vases with flaring feet and rims are adorned with hand-applied decoration and flowing glazes in brilliant tones of crimson, green and ochre. A curious pattern, executed in raised lines, suggests some sort of--perhaps ancient--frieze supported by slender columns from which swags of garland (laurel?) hang. If the design could be translated into a three-dimensional architectural setting, it might provide an appropriate backdrop for Oscar Wilde's Salome. A vague suggestion of fin de siecle decadence can be detected.
The linear design is executed in slip-trailing, a technique in which liquid clay is piped onto the surface of the vessel in a manner not unlike cake decoration. The lines of Secessionist patterns have an energetic wiggle that defies conventional precision. In the same spirit, boldly colored majolica glazes are allowed to overflow their boundaries and blend freely.