Pair 19th C. Orientalist/Islamic Onyx, Bronze & Champlevé Enamel Alhambra Vases

Description

Pair of 19th Century French Orientalist/Islamic Onyx Bronze and Champlevé Enamel Alhambra Vases Attb. To F. Barbedienne Each vase is formed with a long trumpet neck rising from a rounded onyx body set within an open bronze frame. The necks flare outward at the rim and are covered in dense champlevé enamel ornament in red, cobalt blue, white, pale blue, and green against a gilt bronze ground. Matching enamel panels continue around the shoulder and lower mount, with pointed arches, scrolling foliage, and repeating geometric reserves. The spherical onyx bodies are left largely plain, creating a clear contrast with the patterned mounts. Behind each body, a pierced upright bronze support forms a crescent outline filled with scrollwork. Below, the lower section rests on a domed enamel-mounted base raised on four short gilt bronze feet over a shaped onyx plinth. These vases are identified as 19th century Orientalist decorative works in gilt bronze, onyx, and champlevé enamel. The design draws on Near Eastern and Islamic ornamental vocabulary, particularly in the pointed lappets, arabesque scrolls, and repeated polychrome enamel patterning. The use of onyx with gilt bronze and enamel is consistent with luxury decorative objects produced for the furnishing market in the later 1800s. The metalwork is assembled with a high level of control across several separate elements, including the flared necks, enclosing side supports, body mounts, domed bases, and feet. The champlevé enamel shows crisp outlines, even color fields, and a consistent surface across the neck and base mounts. The pierced bronze framework is cut in balanced scroll patterns and fitted closely around the stone bodies. The onyx sections are carved with smooth contours and mounted securely within the bronze settings, while the shaped plinths complete the structure with a stable base. French, Circa 1880

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