Vase
Manufacturer Rookwood Pottery Company American
Decorator Carl Schmidt American
This painted floral vellum vase, so-called for the name of the glaze employed to designate the soft, velvet-like surface, belongs to an important group of objects distinctive for their detailed, naturalistic painted decoration. Executed in colored slips with an atomized background, the subtle shading and details would have been difficult to achieve. Here the bearded iris plant with both a blossom and buds envelopes the vase; the asymmetrical design and subject matter nod to the Japanesque influence that permeated the pottery’s designs.