Vase with peacock feathers 1904

Artus Van Briggle made this vase with peacock feathers, sometime around the turn of the last century using glazed earthenware. The striking green-on-green approach gives the vase a distinct presence. It’s an interesting choice because it mutes the colour, while giving the form heightened emphasis. The matte surface has a delicate feel. When you look closely, you can see the way the glaze pools and varies in tone across the relief surface, creating subtle shifts in texture and colour, like a watercolour. The green is not a flat plane, but something alive. Look especially at the upper section, the artist uses the glaze to describe a stylized flower motif, with layered petals and curling tendrils. The way the green deepens in the recesses, creating almost a brown effect, allows the eye to pick out the design clearly. It reminds me of the work of Louis Comfort Tiffany, who experimented with art nouveau glass at a similar time. Both artists pushed their chosen materials to new limits in their search for organic beauty.