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Wall plaque with salamander

ca. 1895–1897
Not on view
A French chemistry professor-turned-ceramist, Alexander Bigot was a prominent figure in the field of architectural ceramics. Initially inspired by East Asian pottery, Bigot often incorporated lively reliefs of aquatic fauna into his stoneware. On this plaque, a partially submerged lizard emerges from a pool of glaze, and the surface bubbles and froths like mud. Typical of the Art Nouveau style that swept through the Belle Époque period, motif and form blend seamlessly into one – representing both the fascination with nature and the advances in decorative technique of this time.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Wall plaque with salamander
  • Designer: Pierre Roche (pseudonym of Fernand Massignon) (1855–1922)
  • Maker: Alexandre Bigot (French, Mer, Loire-et-Cher 1862–1927 Paris)
  • Date: ca. 1895–1897
  • Culture: French, Mer
  • Medium: Glazed stoneware
  • Dimensions: confirmed: 1 1/16 × 9 1/8 in. (2.6 × 23.2 cm)
  • Classification: Ceramics-Pottery
  • Credit Line: Gift of Martin Eidelberg, 2022
  • Object Number: 2022.421.2
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

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Sea Algae (Algues Marines), from "L'Estampe Originale", Pierre Roche (pseudonym of Fernand Massignon), Gypsograph in two colors
Sea Algae (Algues Marines), from "L'Estampe Originale"
Pierre Roche (pseudonym of Fernand Massignon)
Publisher André Marty
1893
Dance Club, Wood, paint, cassowary feathers, Torres Strait Islander
Dance Club
Torres Strait Islander
late 19th–early 20th century
Plaque with lobster and seaweed, Albert-Louis Dammouse French, Glazed stoneware, French, Sèvres
Plaque with lobster and seaweed
Albert-Louis Dammouse
ca. 1895–1905
The Salamander (La Salamandre), from "L'Estampe Originale", Pierre Roche (pseudonym of Fernand Massignon), Lithograph in two colors
The Salamander (La Salamandre), from "L'Estampe Originale"
Pierre Roche (pseudonym of Fernand Massignon)
Publisher André Marty
1895
Ceramic Horn, Glazed pottery, French
Ceramic Horn
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late 18th or early 19th century

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