19th century world fair vases. Who made them?

Discussion in 'Pottery, Glass, and Porcelain' started by John Hoghschild, Oct 25, 2018.

  1. John Hoghschild

    John Hoghschild New Member

    Hello,

    These vases (urns?) resurfaced from my family's loft. I'd like to know who made them so that I can get some pieces to the puzzle.

    All I know is that they they where exhibited at a world fair in Paris in the 19th century. Maybe French? They have no markings, but I've provided a photo with a mug for scale. Anybody recognise the style?

    Thanks!

    John
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited: Oct 25, 2018
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  2. komokwa

    komokwa The Truth is out there...!

    upload_2018-10-25_16-19-58.jpeg

    we'll need more pics than that !! :hilarious:
     
  3. AuDragon

    AuDragon Well-Known Member

    Hi John and Welcome. They look gorgeous, but more pics will help. I love the richness of the blue colour. Where did the information come from about them being exhibited in Paris?
     
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  4. judy

    judy Well-Known Member

    Welcome to Antiquers John!

    Pictures of the bottoms are needed......
     
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  5. John Hoghschild

    John Hoghschild New Member

    Hello both- yep, I'll take the pictures.

    My father told me, and his knowledge comes was handed down to him. This sort of stuff is in the direct family lineage, so the little information he remembers is accurate.
     
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  6. John Hoghschild

    John Hoghschild New Member

    Will show the bottoms but there are no markings from what I can see!
     
  7. John Hoghschild

    John Hoghschild New Member

  8. AuDragon

    AuDragon Well-Known Member

    The Exposition Universelle of 1889 was a world’s fair held in Paris, France, from 6 May to 31 October 1889. It was held during the year of the 100th anniversary of the storming of the Bastille, an event considered as the beginning of the French Revolution.

    The main symbol of the Fair was the especially built Eiffel Tower which served as the entrance arch to the Fair, and was the tallest tower in the world. It was a sensation from the moment it opened, with as many as 12,000 visitors a day, and over 30,000 making the 1700 step climbs to the top since the lifts had not been completed when the Exposition opened.

    The 1889 fair was held on the Champs de Mars in Paris, which had ben the site of the earlier Paris Universal Exhibition in 1867, and would also be the site of the 1900 Exposition.

    440px-Paris_1889_plakat.jpg
     
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  9. John Hoghschild

    John Hoghschild New Member

    I did wonder if there was a list of items displayed there in order to know who the manufacturer was, but I assumed somebody might recognise the style- probably a much easier way to go about it!
     
  10. Bronwen

    Bronwen Well-Known Member

    judy and i need help like this.
  11. John Hoghschild

    John Hoghschild New Member

    I'll take that! Had no idea.
     
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  12. evelyb30

    evelyb30 Well-Known Member

    Definitely aesthetic design ceramics with a lot of Japanese influence. I don't think they're Japanese, but ... dunno.
     
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  13. Pat P

    Pat P Well-Known Member

    Lovely items. Would they be called "pots"?

    I have the very large three volume set of books produced for the 1862 London Exposition and they did a great job of showing items that had been displayed.

    You might be able to find online copies of the different French expositions to look through. I've found HathiTrust to be a really good site for seeing scanned antique books...
    https://www.hathitrust.org/

    Even Google books has some illlustrated antiques books, with the images, to use for research.
     
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  14. John Hoghschild

    John Hoghschild New Member

    Amazing. Thanks!
     
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  15. Bronwen

    Bronwen Well-Known Member

    The catalogue is organized by countries. In each class, entries from France come first, then French colonies, followed by foreign countries. What country would have submitted your pieces?
     
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  16. John Hoghschild

    John Hoghschild New Member

    That's what I'm not sure about. I was hoping somebody would be able to identify the style. I'm leaning towards French and maybe something from the Limoges region? I've seen a could of equally colourful items and the lion heads make the occasional appearance. I'll have a search in French items when I get a chance.
     
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  17. Bronwen

    Bronwen Well-Known Member

    You would have more chance of success if you leaned toward any other country. Not a surprise that France was represented far more than any other country in the exposition. The list of entrants from France in the ceramics class goes on for pages, mostly by individual names, sometimes with a description of the work entered. Then there's Limoges:

    upload_2018-10-26_7-42-44.png
     
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  18. Bronwen

    Bronwen Well-Known Member

  19. John Hoghschild

    John Hoghschild New Member

    Ah, I see. Thanks. Will keep digging to find some images of something very similar in style and then maybe contact the manufacturer if they're still in business!
     
    Pat P likes this.
  20. Bronwen

    Bronwen Well-Known Member

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