Antique Persian style glazed terracotta vase by Massier

The vase is of bottle form and stands on a waisted stem with a decorative knop, on a rounded, circular foot. It features a bulbous lower body and a tall cylindrical neck. The neck terminates in a knop and slightly flared mouth.

Decorative horizontal bands, composed of turquoise, yellow, red and navy floral motifs against a gold background, decorate the foot, shoulders and upper neck of the vase. Leafy turquoise vines with navy, white, red and yellow flowers on a yellow ground decorate the underside of the foot, stem, lower body, neck and mouth of the vase. Four red bands, ornamented with white and yellow flowers and turquoise foliage, run vertically across the length of the vase.  In its design and decoration, this vase appears to be inspired by Persian-style glass models, such as those produced by Lobmeyr.

The underside of the vase is signed ‘Clement-Massier/ Golfe-Juan/ 1887’. Clement Massier came from a famous family of potters, three of whom were active in the late 19^th Century: Clement, his brother Delphin and their cousin Jerome. Clement moved his business to Golfe-Juan, where this piece was made, in 1883. Clement Massier is best-known for his iridescent, metallic glaze which won him a gold medal at the Paris Exposition Universelle of 1900. Massier’s ceramics were very popular with the European elite and even with royalty.