Fishes in Sea Weed Vase

This globular vase with collared neck sports the kind of figure/ground imagery pioneered by Lévy-Dhurmer in the early to mid-1890s. Fish moving through seaweed recall that designer’s incomparable ability to layer imagery in a complex interplay of revealment and concealment, a dynamic also found in his Symbolist pastels and oil paintings. Clearly, Lévy-Dhurmer’s innovations left an indelible mark on the style of lusterware decoration after his departure in 1895.