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.

Minton's"Secessionist" line is the culmination of extended experimentation in slip-trailed decoration by Leon Salon and John Wadsworth, designers in their twenties whose youth is reflected in the fresh originality of their work. With the line's elongated shapes, flowing glazes, and free, spontaneous linear patterns, it also represents the pottery's principal response to the various European movements associated with the Art Nouveau style. Advertising and a special catalog for the wares appeared in 1902. Though commercially as well as artistically successful, popularity waned with the decline of Art Nouveau and the line was discontinued shortly before World War I.

The striking effect of these vases as a pair cannot be denied. Nevertheless, due to rim repair on one vase, the perfect example can be purchased singly for $1250. One should note that the repair is not obvious and does not detract from the impact of the two vases.