The vases in this pair are of baluster form, each being cast from solid brass. The brass surface of each vase is engraved with a variety of patterns: a frieze of stylised scrolling foliage delineates the shoulder and the lowest register of each vase. This arabesque motif, again engraved, decorates the central diamonds of the body of each vase. The spandrels between these diamonds are engraved with bounded intricate geometrical tessellations of a form redolent of Middle Eastern and Islamic art. Where unengraved, the brass surface of each vase is polished to a lustre. Each vase stands on a flared brass base.
The vases are marked underside with ‘Made in Jerusalem Palestine,’ the monogram of Alfred Salzmann, the letter D, and the number 562. The artist, Salzmann, worked within the important Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem.
Details
Artist / Maker
By Bezalel Academy (Jerusalem, founded 1906), Salzmann, Alfred (Jerusalem, fl. early 20th Century)