The re-opening of Japanese ports to foreign trade in 1854, after nearly 250 years of embargo, ushered in an era of utter fascination with, and inspiration from, every aspect of the visual culture from that distant, unfamiliar island country. Japanese woodblock prints, ceramics, textiles, screens, and other objets d’art began appearing in European markets in the 1860s, soon drawing much attention in major exhibitions, markets, fairs, and salons. Japanese prints and objects increasingly provided Western artists images of a foreign, exotic land, as well as a new formal vocabulary, sense of spatial relationships, color palette, and appreciation for nature. French art critic Philippe Burty coined a new term for this Japanese-inspired aesthetic: Japonisme.
The earliest efforts in Japonisme consisted of copied motifs from Japanese prints, as can be seen in Félix Bracquemond’s (1833-1914) Service Rousseau tableware. Exhibited at the 1867 Paris Exposition Universelle to critical acclaim, this work is credited with the earliest use of Japanese print images in French decorative arts. His asymmetrical placement of the appropriated images on the plates also exhibits an understanding of the Japanese spatial concepts, and a shift away from practiced French symmetrical arrangements.
Other French decorative artists soon followed in adopting Japanese designs and formal principles, and what began as a superficial borrowing of motifs evolved into a true assimilation and adaptation of Japanese aesthetic concepts. Besides the work of Bracquemond, Japonisme in ceramics was skillfully embraced by Albert Dammouse (1848-1926), Ernest Chaplet (1835-1909), Théodore Deck (1823-1891), Edmond Lachenal (1855-1948), and Émile Decoeur (1876-1953), among many others in the Paris circle and beyond. Each of these ceramicists developed independent, interpretive, japoniste styles, emulating the spirit of their models and in the process, achieving a new, freer conception of painted decoration, vase shapes, stoneware glazes, and other ceramic techniques.
Japonisme’s popularity began to fade at the dawning of the 20th century as it was supplanted by the sinuous lines and whiplash tendrils of Art Nouveau. However, decorative and fine arts are nothing if not a continuum, and Japonisme’s lasting influence was felt in the genesis of concurrent and following art movements including Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Art Nouveau, and beyond.
To possess in one’s collection one of Delaherche’s Grés Flambés is to proclaim oneself one of the cognoscenti of modern ceramic art. There is nothing being turned out of kilns anywhere that can compare in contour or in color with the alchemies that come out of this modern Prometheus’ oven.
William F. Paris, “Auguste Delaherche: Master Potter of Armentières,” La France: An American Magazine, December 1920
Auguste Delaherche 1857–1940
A gifted and prolific ceramist, Auguste Delaherche is recognized as a harbinger of modern studio ceramics. Born in Beauvais, in Northern France, and trained at the École des Arts Décoratifs, Delaherche worked in various artistic capacities – including as a restorer of stained glass, designer of religious jewelry, and director of the electroplating department at Christofle in Paris – before making his first pots at L’Italienne pottery in Goncourt. Delaherche had finally found his calling; soon thereafter, in 1887, he purchased Ernest Chaplet’s studio in Paris and became a full-time potter. In 1894, he moved back north, near Beauvais, to the quaint town of Armentières. Influenced by the likes of Jean Carriès and Chaplet, as well as by Japanese, Greek, and Oriental pottery, he combined high-temperature glazes and varied firing techniques in the production of a spectacular range of colors, shapes, and lustrous finishes. His earlier pots reflect an interest in vegetal and animal ornaments but, with the exception of openwork, he eventually abandoned ornament altogether in order to focus on form and outline. He sought to control the outcome of each firing and never hesitated to destroy any piece which did not perfectly fulfill his original vision.
Delaherche achieved great fame during his lifetime: he was awarded gold medals in ceramics at both the 1889 and 1900 Expositions Universelles in Paris,and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs held a one-man exposition of his works in 1907. His work can be found in numerous permanent collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Victoria & Albert Museum, and the Musée d’Orsay.
Auction Results Auguste Delaherche
