Ref.13766
Eduard Stellmacher (attributed to) for Amphora, Earthenware owl vase, late 1890s

This Art Nouveau earthenware vase with a perched owl is a late 1890s model from the Amphora factory. Located in Turn-Teplitz (Austria), the factory was run by Riessner, Stellmacher and Kessel (RSt&K). The design is attributed to Eduard Stellmacher, sculptor and ceramist, son of Albert Stellmacher, who left his partners in 1904 to create Eduard Stellmacher & Co. Made on the wheel rather than from a mould, the decoration of the vase varies slightly from one piece to another, particularly the composition of the bubbles on the neck and the design of the frieze of spirals on the body. All the pieces produced by the Amphora factory are therefore unique, including this No. 4506. What really makes this piece unique is its glaze. The vase is enameled in a golden colour that can be seen on different parts of the owl, especially on its face and wings. This gives the impression that a light source, perhaps the moon, is reflected on the plumage of this nocturnal predator. The rest of the plumage is a beautiful red, while the decoration on the vase (the bubbles and spiral frieze) is a bluish grey that compliments the gold vase very well. Here is another example of this piece, in more traditional colours.