Ernst Chaplet French, 1835-1909
c. 1890
Further images
The Venus of Willendorf if she were a pot; this diminutive size is perfectly suited for holding in your hands. This pot is meant to be caressed. Its rather buxom top narrows at the waist, then swells out slightly at the hips to terminate at the foot of the pot in thick pools of glaze. Playfully, Chaplet allows a bit of the white unglazed ceramic to be exposed for a little titillation, like catching a glimpse of a petticoat. With fetish-like appeal, the thickly-applied matte glazes only add to the pot’s sensuality. Chaplet’s sang-de boeuf underglaze is tricked out in turquoise, white and ochre. Its textured abstract design takes on a similar captivatingly fetishistic quality. This is a one of a kind studio piece which was exhibited in Chaplet’s first retrospective exhibition held in Paris in 1910.