20217M-001

Stylized nature This unique piece, inspired by an Art Deco vase, showcases the rare and distinctive technique of Longwy enamel on faience, named after the town in France where it originated in about 1873. It depicts the lush tropical vegetation of a jungle in the depths of the night. The artist first laid out the decor of a stylized tropical forest on the bisque background, drawing the black outline or cerne. He filled in these motifs with a palette of opaque enamels in 4 colors, including the special tints serving as an undercoat for the platinum and gold, creating a slight relief effect. He then illuminated this luxuriant jungle with 2 highlighting pigments in platinum and gold tints, using a brush. After the successive firings he applied a colorant to the enameled surfaces to bring out the minute cracks or “crackles” typical of this technique. Each enameled plate required 5 firings at temperatures ranging down from 1020°C to 745°C. The finely crackled black hour circle is adorned with 12 baton-style hour markers painted in gray enamel, framing leaf-shaped hands with rhodium plating. The circular enameled foot takes up the geometric motif of a Native American bracelet. This piece is powered by the caliber 17’’’ PEND mechanical movement rewound by an electric motor.