JEAN DUNAND | VASE

Adler Picart Tajan, Paris, June 15, 1981, lot 182

Collection of Jacques Mostini, Paris

Private Collection, New York, 1984

Christie's New York, June 20, 2018, lot 1

Félix Marcilhac, Jean Dunand: His Life and Works, London, 1991, p. 308, no. 1020 (for the present lot illustrated)

In addition to the lacquered metal technique that he perfected towards the end of the 1910s, another important technical device attributed to Jean Dunand is his signature use of crushed eggshell as a decorative element, a technique that he introduced and perfected in the early 1920s. The technique consisted of the use of eggshells that were washed and whose inner membranes were removed, after which they were delicately crushed and the fragments sorted according to size. Each particle was then applied to the fresh lacquer using tweezers. Coquille d’oeuf was often combined with lacquered metal, resulting in highly textured pieces with rich geometric presence, producing dramatic contrast against the dark lacquered surface. The instant commercial success of Dunand’s eggshell works prompted the artist to maintain a chicken coop in his workshop’s courtyard to meet the increasing demand. Some of the most striking eggshell works produced by Dunand in the mid-1920s are represented in this tremendous ensemble of unique pieces ranging from a low table (lot 5) to lacquered metal vases (lots 21-25) and a rare lacquered ceramic vase (lot 34). The following vases display bold and abstract motifs created with the minutious precision of an artist at the height of his abilities. This curated selection supports the artist’s reputation as one of the greatest decorative artists of his generation, providing collectors with a rare opportunity to acquire some of the craftsman’s most extraordinary eggshell vases.