Established in 1775, Royal Copenhagen grew to become one of the major producers of Danish porcelain. 1895 marked the beginning of an important new chapter in the firm’s history. Expanding beyond the traditional collection of porcelain figurines and dinner services, a modern experimental stoneware studio was born. Royal Copenhagen’s Art Nouveau porcelain distinguished itself from many other ceramic trends of the day by showcasing the artistic skills of their painters and emphasizing that mode of surface decoration rather than the glazes.

The vase’s beauty is one of restrained elegance. Its hourglass figure is supple. The double-handled silver mounts gracefully arc down the sides to join maple leaves at the mouth and foot. These leaves are faithful renderings from nature and complement the vase’s overall theme.

On first glance, the painted scene appears to be simply a mountainous forest setting, a study in tranquility and serenity depicted in gradations of grey. The silver mounts add another layer of grey and another spatial dimension. Further consideration reveals an artful commentary on Timelessness and The Transitory states of being.

The vase’s two distinct zones clarify this metaphor. At the top, blue abstract drips contrast against the stark white ground suggesting the stratosphere and even recalling ceramic origins from Asia, Delftware and certainly the first Royal Copenhagen pattern which used the intense blue on white. Metaphorically, this higher plane stands for the higher laws of nature and Art embodied by the notion of the ideal or the absolute. Mid-ground, the bird in flight and the round moon symbolize the transitory. Time, change and movement are themes which reveal themselves as the viewer’s orientation changes. The bird’s fixed point in space appears to change as does the phase of the moon. The misty atmosphere in this earthly scene is a prime example of European artists absorbing some of the Japanese aesthetic and interpreting it stylistically as Japonism to create a Modern art for their era, Art Nouveau.