Ewer with Shellfishes, Crustacean and Frog, Thomas Victor Sergent, circa 1860
This ewer with shellfishes was made by the famous ceramist Thomas Sergent from the second half of the 19th century. Homas Sergent found his inspiration in the rustic ewer attributed to Bernard Palissy, currently on display at the Louvre Museum. This shell ewer has the same shape and elements: a frog at the spout, a crustacean as a lid and shells arranged on the rest of the ewer.
He was linked to Victor Barbizet, who was one of the greatest Parisian ceramist in the Palissy’s style. He got married with his daughter in 1871.
He made all of his materials, including his enamels and glazes, and he developed his own clay formula for maximum plasticity. He made his own molds and produced extremely vibrant colors such as cobalt blue, yellow, orange and greens. The colors he used were intentionally different from nature. Sergent’s specialty was large pieces decorated with nearly life-size crustaceans, although he produced many smaller works as well : vases, tobacco jar, plates, jardinières, cups. He adopted many pieces which were formerly attributed to Bernard Palissy and provided them a kind of strength and power.