It includes the famous ‘bleu de Deck’ – the rich turquoise glaze copied from Isnik ceramics that Deck first showed in 1874 at the Union Centrale des Beaux‐ Arts Appliqués à l’Industrie.
However, the decoration is unmistakably inspired by pottery from further east – and specifically the Japanese art that held such fascination to late 19th century Europeans.
Deck became one of Japonisme’s great disciples. His obituary report said: “Deck died at Sèvres, in the little pavilion – with rooms of gold, satin, and velvet, filled with vases painted in manganese violet and yellow colours, lacquers, netsukes, and swords of Japan… He was inseparable from his surroundings; he wore the air of their art and charm as if he had been born among them.”
This vase, inherited by the owner from a relative in Richmond, Surrey, was estimated at a modest £400-600 at the auction on June 27, but took £10,000.
