Style Japonism, Chinoiserie / Ref.15265

Edmond LACHENAL (painter), Théodore DECK (ceramist), Ornamental plate with Two Mallards Swimming Among Irises at Sunset, circa 1880

This enameled ceramic plate was created in the workshop of ceramist Théodore Deck at the end of the 19^th century; its decoration is attributed to Edmond Lachenal.

Théodore Deck initially trained in stove manufacturing. When he established his own business in Paris in 1858, he specialized in stove coverings before expanding into ceramics due to his growing success. The workshop produced numerous plates, sometimes in collaboration with renowned painters, including Edmond Lachenal. Deck gradually perfected his technique and enjoyed significant acclaim at the many World’s Fairs in which he participated. In 1878, he was made an Officer of the Legion of Honor. He directed the Sèvres porcelain manufactory from 1887 until his death in 1891.

Édouard Achille Lachenal, known as Edmond Lachenal (1855-1948), served as the chief of Deck’s workshop before establishing his own studio in 1881. He later participated with success in the World’s Fairs of 1889 and 1900. Lachenal was particularly recognized for his naturalistic representations and the vividness of his colors.

This plate, a collaboration between two prestigious artists, depicts a pair of lifelike mallards swimming among irises, with a white goose in expressive flight, seemingly intent on chasing them away. The birds are bathed in the golden-yellow light of late afternoon, illuminating both the sky and water. The colors are rendered with great subtlety, particularly in the male mallard’s plumage, which features rich shades of blue, green, and brown, and in the vibrant irises.

This design is emblematic of the Japonism trend that swept through Europe from the 1870s onwards. Indeed, both mallards and geese are favored motifs in Japanese woodblock prints, as is the stylization of the background, where the distinction between sky and water is subtly blurred.

The work is signed within the design by the painter, and bears two signatures by Théodore Deck on the reverse.

Edmond Lachenal also created a plate depicting a rooster, which is housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The vividly colored bird is portrayed in a naturalistic manner, captured mid-stride as it chases a butterfly.