Massier, Delphin Delphin Massier’s factory in Vallauris produced primarily high-fired majolica items. His line of purely artist ceramics was destined for the home and garden. At some point during the Art Nouveau years, Delphin Massier mastered the technique for metallic luster glazing invented by his younger brother. He, too, proceeded to create wonderful iridescent objects. While not as well known for his lusterware, Delphin was very successful, and the firing of his vessels often obtained a brilliant iridescence. A second cousin, Jean Baptiste Massier, inherited Jacques Massier’s factory in Vallauris; the pottery made under his supervision was signed “Jerome Massier fils.”
Of the many artists who left Clément Massier’s factory to start studios of their own, perhaps the most remarkable was Jean Barol (1873-1966). Barol learned metallic luster glazing at Golfe-Juan, where he was employed at a young age. In 1911, with three other artists from the factory—Marius Alexandre, Jean Carle, and François Sicard—he founded BACS in Cannes. At BACS, Barol was the glaze artist, Alexandre the painter, Carle the decorator, and Sicard the potter. A new technique was found by BACS for applying high-fired enamel “cloisonné” decoration to metallic luster-glazed vessels. The firm also became well known for the enamel-glazed, impressionist style landscape painting fired on its ceramics. In 1917 Barol left BACS along with Sicard to found Montieres, in the city of Montieres-les-Amiens, in the north of France; the company produced work similar to that of the parent company. Barol rejoined BACS three years later, in 1920, and remained until 1927, after which he continued as a ceramist in Vallauris until his death, at the ripe age of 93.
Throughout history, great iridescent glazes have been invented for the decoration of ceramics. The Art Nouveau movement, however, was blessed with an insatiable market for its opulent creations. It is not surprising that dozens of studios leapt to compete in creating the most glorious glazes. Certainly the factory of Vilmos Zsolnay, in the Hungarian city of Pecs, mastered the art; using proceeds from his industrial ceramics production, Zsolnay drew on the skills of dozens of extraordinary artists and chemists to design pure Art Nouveau pottery. The magnificent creations of Ernest Bussiere, at Keller and Guerin in Luneville near Nancy, show the influence of Galle’s “École de Nancy”. Bussiere’s twisted, gnarled, plant-inspired forms, glazed with iridescent coppery reds and browns, are treasured by collectors and museums. Galileo Chini of Florence combined a Secessionist style with the iridescence of Art Nouveau in his metallic luster-glazed pottery produced at his own factory, Arte della Ceramica. Jacques Sicard brought the secrets of his master, Clément Massier, to the Weller Company in far-off Zanesville, Ohio.
Yet as wonderful as these artists are, and as technically competent, none put as much passion into the development of metallic luster glazes as Massier. No other ceramics artist ever achieved his level of technical understanding; no other artist took experimentation to such dogged extremes. Massier’s works, with their complexity and subtlety, are supremely eloquent. Yet Massier is not merely the great master of Art Nouveau ceramics, since he is just as important as a Japonist. Ultimately, I think of him as the Symbolist Ceramist.
The surface of a Massier vase offers a glimpse into its creator’s dreams, itself inspiring dreams. No decorative object in any medium surpasses a perfectly fired, exquisitely decorated vessel by Clément Massier and Lucien Lévy-Dhurmer.
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Quick Facts
Type(s):
Ceramacist / Potter
Style:
Categories Most Known For:
Important Designer Relationships:
Clément Massier
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