Vase, Kürbis,

ca. 1900

Under the sway of Japonisme, Taxile Doat turned his attention in the 1880s to new forms of ceramic art. This naturalistic vase in the shape of a gourd was inspired by Japanese stoneware. The artist has meticulously emulated each projecting rib and wart, modeling the stem as a short vase neck that bulges outward at the top and embedding the organic details in a glossy crystalline glaze. Doat soon made a name for himself with his successful ceramics studio, carrying out every step in the production process himself. He excelled at planning the workpiece on paper and then executing it using the pottery wheel and casting techniques before the complex firing process. Along the way, he experimented successfully with various clay and glaze formulas. He also did any painted decoration himself. Doat documented his findings in a textbook, which he published in 1905 after being appointed professor at the Art Academy and Porcelain Works in University City, Missouri. Doat worked at the state porcelain factory in Sèvres from 1877 to 1905, where he created elegant neoclassical pâte-sur-pâte pieces whose elaborate production technique called for the designer to devise a corresponding decorative scheme for the intricate relief ornament. Doat’s motifs were taken from classical mythology while in some cases alluding in an amusing way to the affairs of contemporary society. This was an ideal setting for the witty and imaginative Doat, and he soon became a master of “grand feu,” porcelain and stoneware fired at high temperatures. (Sabine Flaschberger)