April Showers - Part Eight


 

French Early Art Nouveau Vase with Rose Motif and Lustrous Metallic Glazes by Clément Massier (LEO Design)

 

In honor of the Spring, we are sharing some of our florally-inspired items over the next several days.  Enjoy the season—including the flowers which delightfully distinguish the Spring.

In the earliest days of the French Art Nouveau movement, Clément Massier opened his ceramics workshop in the South of France, in Golfe-Juan along the Côte d'Azur.  Even as a young boy, he was intrigued by the ceramics of Ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome.  And, by hiring the best ceramicists and glaze masters, he was able to revolutionize the world of Turn-of-the-Century ceramics.  He (and his staff) developed wonderful metallic lustre glazes—and enjoyed strong sales amongst the smart set who visited the French Riviera's seaside resorts.  Artists, aristocrats and European royalty patronized his gallery.  And soon his work was being sold in the most exclusive shops in Paris and New York.  Today, Massier's work can be found in museums such as The Musée d'Orsay and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  Click on the photo above to learn more about this exquisite piece.

More Springtime flowers tomorrow and in the days to come.

 

Though our Greenwich Village store is now permanently closed, LEO Design is still alive and well!  Please visit our on-line store where we continue to sell Handsome Gifts (www.LEOdesignNYC.com)

We also can be found in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania at The Antique Center of Strabane (www.antiquecenterofstrabane.com).

Or call to arrange to visit our Pittsburgh showroom (by private appointment only).  917-446-4248