THÉODORE DECK (Guebwiller 1823–1891 Paris)

THÉODORE DECK

(Guebwiller 1823–1891 Paris)
Large faience cachepot in "Bleu de Deck", circa 1900. Decorated with dragons, clouds and geometric patterns. The sides with pierced handles in the form of stylized cloud motifs. The underside with "TH. DECK" manufactory stamp, his medallion and a triangular mark.
Ø ca. 54 cm, H 32 cm.
Minor chips to the glaze.

Provenance:
Peter Ducret Collection, Kilchberg.

Théodore Deck (Guebwiller 1823–1891 Paris)
Born in Alsace, Théodore Deck left his native Guebwiller as an apprentice and soon moved to Strasbourg. He trained under the master potter Hügelin, for whom he subsequently worked until 1845. During his journeyman years, which took him through Germany to Vienna and Hungary, Deck gained extensive experience working on numerous country houses and palaces. After a period at the Vogt manufactory in Paris, Deck returned to Guebwiller following the February Revolution of 1848 and began creating his own faience wares there. In 1851, he returned to Paris, where in 1855 he won his first medal at a world exhibition for the Dumas manufactory.
Together with his brother Xavier, Deck founded his own manufactory in Paris in 1856. Renaissance and Oriental styles characterized its production, which drew significant inspiration from 15th- to 17th-century Iznik ceramics (lot 1233). Deck’s artistic ambitions are also evident in the production of plates and platters, created from 1859 onward in collaboration with contemporary artists, including Albert Anker (1831–1910), and successfully exhibited and sold at various exhibitions from 1861.
Deck’s use of gold grounds was based on his study of the mosaics in St. Mark’s Basilica during a journey to Venice in 1877. Such gold grounds also appear on the artist portrait plates, such as the example produced in collaboration with Raphaël Collin (1850–1916) (lot 1244). In addition to Ottoman and Italian influences, Deck’s colors and forms reveal a wide range of other cultural inspirations, extending from Moorish to Asian styles. From 1880 onward, Japanese forms and colors entered his decorative repertoire, as did elements of the Chinese ceramic tradition. These influences are evident not only in form and decoration but also in the use of celadon green. His signature brilliant turquoise, known as "Bleu de Deck", reminiscent of Persian ceramics, was produced from copper oxide and cobalt from 1874 onward. He often combined it with a dark violet (lot 1229). Another distinctive feature of his work is the use of low-relief decoration. New experiments with decoration beneath the glaze led, from 1888 onward, to ornamental designs that gave the motifs a certain sense of depth.
Deck’s richly varied oeuvre in color and form, with its diverse cultural influences, reflects both his experimental approach and the spirit of Art Nouveau and Historicism. The industrial methods of his time also shaped the manufactory. Models in plaster and cardboard, together with trial pieces, facilitated a division of labor, with painting and firing forming subsequent stages of production. The numerous medals and awards he received over the years at national and international exhibitions attest to his success, reputation and commitment to perfection. The publication of his "La Faïence" in 1887 marked something of a culmination of this work: following his appointment as director of the "Manufacture nationale de Sèvres", he turned his attention to porcelain, which characterized the final years of his career from 1887 to 1891. After his death, the Deck manufactory was continued, among others, by his brother Xavier until it closed in 1905.