French Majolica Vases, Set of 2

Pair of French Majolica vase from the Cévennes (France) early 20th Century Anduze pots are an artisanal specialty of the Cevennes, a cultural region and mountain range in south-central France, located southeast of the Massif Central. It is a local pottery tradition that had enjoyed great success since the end of the 18th century. An Anduze vase needs three distinctive elements: shape, decorations and colours. These peculiarities are specific to it, and only pottery that contains all of its elements is qualified as Anduze. The other models produced in Anduze do not qualify as such if one of these features is missing. The origins of the Anduze vases are the subject of numerous local legends according to which they were inspired by the Italian-style vases of the Medici or that they adorned the parks of the Palace of Versailles at the time of the Sun King. In reality, the Anduze vase was born in the second half of the 17th century century. It is the result of the different craft traditions of the potters of Provence and Languedoc. Its development is linked to that of the production of citrus fruits which must be kept indoors in winter so as not to freeze and therefore could not be planted directly in the ground. The fashion for the orange grove contributed to the development of the fashion for the horticultural ornamental vase. The first Anduze vase model that can be perfectly identified and dated dates back to 1728 and is the work of the Gautier family of potters, present in the city of Anduze since the 16th century. However, the success of this model was mainly due to the Boisset family's manufacturing boom at the end of the 18th century. The Boisset family, born and trained in the art of Anduze pottery by the Gautier family, would eventually absorb the Gautier family in the 19th century. The nineteenth century was marked by the specialization of Languedoc potters in garden vases such as those of Anduze. Indeed, these were very successful, allowing, from the French Revolution until 1880, a proliferation of the Anduze pot trade in several French provinces and even in the Parisian gardens of the Empire. Napoleon I himself bought vases, as evidenced by an order found in the Boisset family archives, but these, although delivered, remained unpaid. If the manufacturing techniques have always remained the same, the vase has undergone a slight stylistic evolution showing off more elegant and slender shapes, while each of the potters has marked their difference in the shape of the garlands that adorn the vase. HEIGHT 51cm MAXIMUM DIAMETER 74 cm MANUFACTURE French MATERIAL French majolica.