An outstanding Harrach 'Japonisme' Vase.

Harrach was strongly inspired by the 1878 Paris World Fair exhibition of Japanese arts and the following glass works of Eugene Rousseau and Auguste Jean, which were soon copied. In the following years, Josef Petricek designed for Harrach various 'Japonisme' décors, often based on 'The Grammar of Ornament' by Owen Jones and by the volume 'Ornaments du Japon' by E. Collinot and A. de Beaumont. My vase belonged to this series of J. Petricek's vases created in the beginning 1880's. It shows as classical motive the chinese 'Fenghuan', the Phoenix as symbol of the empress, standing for virtue, happiness and prosperity. Harrach wasn't interested into the mythological meanings at all, only the exotic appearance stood in the foreground. Nevertheless, this was the birth of the new style of 'Art Nouveau'. My vase is made of uranium containing glass and is shiny golden iridized, a just emerging surface refinement technique used by Harrach for refinement of luxury glassware. The body has a lenticular compressed shape and the central motive, showing the Phoenix together with birds and fantastic creatures populating the sky in between the typical chinese cloud symbols (reminding us onto starfishes or jellyfishes). This is framed by a 'Persian' white-red-blue enamelrd ornament beginning from the guilded eightfold sawtooth cut mouth, running down the conically tapered neck, then along both small sides of the body and finally surrounding the ring bead attached foot. As the main motiv is repeated mirror like on both sides, you can see all creatures twice in the air - one more distant and enameled in different colours - when looking through the glass vase. The gilden outlined enamel demonstrates the extremely high level of artistry of the Harrach glass painters, on parr with the works of F. Schmoranz and J. Machytka produced by J.&L. Lobmeyr Co. or with the French Philippe-Joseph Brocard&Son.

My vase stands H=35.5 cm high, the top rim has a diameter of Do=7.5 cm, the compressed body is Dm=16.5x8.5 cm and the foot is Du=10.5 cm. It weights 1040 gr.