Style Other / Ref.11594

Théodore DECK (ceramist) and Anthony Ludovic REGNIER (painter) - Ceramic dish glazed with tiger lily and butterfly on a blue background

This glazed ceramic dish was made in the workshop of the ceramist Théodore Deck (1823-1891) and painted by Anthony Ludovic Régnier (1851-1930) in 1881. It is signed in the decor "A. L. REGNIER" and dated in "1881". In the back, it wears the mark "TH. Deck" ; it is entitled "LIS TIGRE" and bears the number "160".

Théodore Deck initially trained as a stove maker. When he set up in Paris on his own account in 1858, he made stove linings and then, on the strength of his success, moved into ceramics. The studio produced many dishes in collaboration with well-known painters, including Anthony Ludovic Régnier. Deck gradually perfected his technique and enjoyed great success at the many World’s Fairs he took part in. In 1878, he was made an Officer of the Légion d'Honneur. He ran the Sèvres factory between 1887 and his death in 1891.

Anthony Ludovic Régnier was a prolific artist from the workshop of Théodore Deck, specialising in flower paintings. He is otherwise little known.

The painter's mastery is evident in his particularly precise and detailed depiction of the tiger lily, whose flowers are in various stages of bloom. A bindweed flower curls around its stem, adding complexity to the pattern. A butterfly flutters around the lily, as does a small yellow and black striped insect.

This work is a fine example of the Japonism that swept through European art from the 1870s until the early years of the 20^th century, and which particularly influenced Théodore Deck, a collector of Far Eastern art.

The Musée des Arts décoratifs, de la Faïence et de la Mode in Marseille has a dish with daturas and nasturtiums by Deck, decorated by Régnier. The different flowers give the decoration great variety.

For more information on this work, see the video on MarcMaison.art.