Ref.13467
Willy Guhl, Rare pair of tooth planters, circa 1954

This rare pair of planters was made by the Swiss designer, Willy Ghul in the 1950's in natural fiber cement. It's the edition « Eternit AG/Elo, 1954 » which is shaped as an abstract triangle reminding a tooth shape. « Willy Guhl was an inventor, an experimenter, a resercher and a visionary. Despite that, he did not get lost in utopia. He reveals himself to be pragmatic almost a genius. » Robert Haussman Willy Guhl was part of these historical designers historiques who have contributed to the international reputation of the Swiss design. He was one of the big representative of Neo-Functionalism. From a carpenter father, he follows a furniture maker formation in the Kunstgewerbeschule of Zurich – School of applied arts of Zurich here he teaches from 1941 -, and becomes the director of the interior architecture department 10 years after. He leads in the late 1940's pionneer reaserches in the plastic furniture field. He develops then a knowledge about moulding technical that we allow him to reveal himself by transposing them on a new material : the Eternit, also called fibercement, which he is one of the first to use in Europe. The Eternit is a kind of cement reinforce by asbestos and with a fiber texture which allows to create audacious pieces with new shapes. It takes the aspect of larges slabs to which it is possible to give a shape as long as they are not dried. Produced in the origin for the industry, it's a cheap material with an important resistance, so perfectly adapted for the fabrication of external furniture.

Ref.12401
Faïencerie de Gien - Beautiful Napoleon III style earthenware planter "Bernard" with a gold decor, late 19th century

This beautiful planter with a polychromatic floral decor was made between the late 19th century and the early 20th century in the Gien earthenware factory as indicates the stamp on the bottom. It's the "Bernard" model, with a bulging shape resting on four snail feet and flanked with two handles. Its main decoration is composed of a beautiful lilies patch on a beige background, depicting white or colored with gold blooming flowers and buds surrounded by orange leaves. This decoration is lightened up with larges strips with stylised floral motifs and volutes in purple, green, yellow and turquoise reminding the famous blue of the ceramicist Theodore Deck. About the handles and the feet, they are colored with the same jade green used in this decor, that we also find inside the planter. Among the many earthenware factories born in the 19th century, Gien is one of the most reknown and the most important in Europe. It excels in the imitation art, and makes copies of pieces from the past to an affordable price. Unique pieces were also created thanks to talented artists who decorated them with new decorations, or were inspired by ones from the past or other European and Middle East factories. The factory was born in 1821 initated by Thomas Edme Hulm who buys the lands of the old Minimes convent in Gien to settle an earthenware factory after giving up the one in Montereau managed by his family since 1774. Because of financial difficulties, the Gien factory changes many times its name between 1826 et 1862, it is successively called « Guyon, Boulen & Cie », « Geoffroy, Guérin & Cie » before bearing its definitive name « Faïencerie de Gien » from 1875. The factory participates to the numerous exhibitions of the second half of the 19th centuryn especially the Wolds Fairs and wins many rewards. A planter with the same shape and a similar decor is conserved in the Charles VII museum in Mehun-sur-Yèvre in France