A Pair of French Faience Porcelain Elephant Stools/Seats, After Theodore Deck

Description

A Rare and Unusual Pair of French Faience Porcelain Elephant Stools/Seats, After Theodore Deck. A pair of French faience porcelain elephant stools or seats, after designs by Théodore Deck, modeled as standing elephants with broad bodies supporting rectangular saddle seats. Each elephant is covered in a turquoise blue glaze with contrasting ochre and brown saddle blankets draped across the back. The blankets are molded with a diamond lattice center panel, Greek key borders, circular medallions, and a fringe edge. Molded tassels hang from each side, while the elephants feature raised ears, curled trunks, white tusks, and looped tails. The glossy glaze highlights the molded contours, with each figure standing on four substantial legs that provide structural support for the seat above. These elephant stools are produced in the manner of Théodore Deck, the French ceramicist recognized for developing vivid turquoise glazes inspired by Islamic and Asian ceramics. Deck's work frequently incorporated sculptural animal forms and richly colored faience decorated with molded ornament. Examples after his designs are often marked on the underside with factory or retailer marks identifying their production. French faience workshops producing models after Deck employed molded earthenware covered with opaque tin glaze and brightly colored enamel glazes. Elephant seats of this type combined sculptural modeling with functional form, using large sectional molds and hand finished details before firing to achieve their distinctive appearance. Dimensions: 16" Height 20.5" Width 10" Depth

Details

Dimensions