Alexandre Bigot

Frog and Snake C0451

Inventory Number
C0451Size
coming soonMaterial
sculpted and flambé-glazed stonewarePeriod
JaponistCountry of Origin
FranceYear Made
c1900Status
availableCondition
perfect

Description

This sculptural dish was intended as an artwork rather than as a functional object. Here, a carefully articulated frog attacks a helpless snake. The blue curdled glaze suggests water, an effect that could have been heightened by adding actual water to the completed piece. The use of "lowly" animals as decorative sculptural devices was pioneered in France in the 16th century by Bernard Palissy. The late-19th-century influx of Asian pottery with animal decoration may have reawakened Palissy's spirit in Bigot.