Nevers earthenware baluster vase signed by Marest Frères, Art Nouveau

Nevers earthenware baluster vase signed Marest Frères, with a blue and manganese decoration featuring fantastical birds
Large Nevers earthenware vase with two handles, hand-painted in shades of blue accented with manganese (brown-violet), signed Marest Frères on the base. A distinctive decorative piece, typical of the “stylized” production of the late 19th century.
The flared neck is adorned with a finely painted lakeside landscape with Chinese-inspired accents: a pagoda on a promontory, mountains in the distance, water with water lilies and reeds, and a large tree with stylized foliage. The rim is accented with a cobalt blue border. A band of friezes (brown striations, blue diamond pattern) separates the collar from the body. 
On the other side, the neck is adorned with an elegant young woman in a kimono, standing at the water’s edge and holding a large, open fan. Her garment is painted in blue and manganese, with a wide sash (obi) and a hem finely dotted with small flowers. Around her, butterflies flutter in a sky washed in blue, while reeds and waterside flowers grow at her feet.
This design reflects the Japonism aesthetic, which was very much in vogue in the late 19th century. It provides a lovely counterpoint to the opposite side, featuring a Chinese-style lakeside landscape, and gives the piece two distinct moods on a single vase. A flowering branch in blue is also visible on the side of the neck.
The two handles form the piece’s visual signature: fantastical birds with outstretched wings, bird-like heads, and chimera-like bodies with curled tails, modeled in relief and painted in light blue, blue, and manganese. The overall design is highly expressive and is clearly visible from both the front and the side.

Height 31.5 cm; Diameter at the neck 16.8 cm; Width including handles approximately 23 cm
There is some missing enamel on the spouts. There is also a firing crack.

Ref: PGRSC317ON