Léon Sazerat - Pair of vases, circa 1880

This pair of vases is the work of Leon Sazerat. Resting on a pedestal of Asian inspiration, the vases receive at their bases, the figuration of two figures facing each other, one male and one female. This pair of vases works like a conversation. The female figure is reminiscent of the one in Charles André Van Loo's painting depicting Madame de Pompadour in sultan's costume.
Léon Sazerat's production, imbued with Far Eastern motifs and forms, must be situated in the craze for Japan at the end of the 1870s. If he follows in this respect the majority of his competitors, he gives to this new repertoire a very particular colour and accent. The rectangular section of these vases is inspired by the bronze vases of Chinese antiquity. The motifs of flying swallows are present on Far Eastern ceramics and on prints, which have been widely distributed in Europe since the opening of Japanese ports.