Style Other / Ref.11651

SARREGUEMINES MANUFACTURE - Sandstone vase "Cathedral and coat of arms of Metz"

This vase, made in the late 19th century in salt sandstone called Lorraine sandstone, is signed by the manufacture of Sarreguemines. Its incised decor is enhanced with enamels. It refers to a dark period for the faience industry, the Franco-Prussian war of 1870 and especially the loss of Alsace-Lorraine. We can presume that this prussian occupation is here represented by these menacing crows.
Sarreguemines, town located less than 100 km from Metz, is annexed at the same time as all Alsace-Lorraine by Prussia in 1871. The leader of the manufacture, Alexander de Geiger, then leaves Sarreguemines and retires to Paris. Two new factories are then built in Digoin and Vitry-le-François.
In 1877, the cathedral of Metz undergoes important damages: to celebrate the first coming of the emperor Guillaume Ier, the authorities had decided to set fire to the city by shooting fireworks from the roofs of the cathedral. A fire breaks out destroying the entire structure ...
In view of this unprecedented historical context, there is no doubt that the iconography of this vase is an allegory of the Prussian oppressor in the form of crows.
A similar model with variations in shades, from the collections of the Sarreguemines Museum, is presented in the book "La Faïencerie de Sarreguemines" by Alain Benedick, published by ABM.