Zsolnay "Pheasants" Jardinière
Regular price
$45,000
This exquisite Zsolnay jardiniere features a pair of golden pheasants with richly striated plumage in shimmering shades of gold, green, blue, and magenta. As lifelong mates, golden pheasants came to symbolize enduring marital union. Their elegant tail feathers curve upward to form the vase’s sculptural handles. In Chinese culture, the golden pheasant—believed to be the ancestor of the mythical phoenix—embodies auspiciousness and prosperity. During the Qing Dynasty (1644–1911), it adorned the robes of second-ranked officials as a symbol of status and authority. Vilmos Zsolnay’s second daughter Julia was a great lover of Japanese and Chinese art, and integrated many of their motifs throughout the oeuvre of the firm.
Item #: C-22027
Artist: Vilmos Zsolnay
Country: Hungary
Circa: 1900
Dimensions: 8.125" height.
Materials: Iridescent Glazed Earthenware
Signed: with firm's cypher
Literature: Éva Csenkey, Zsolnay: Szecessziós Kerámiák, Budapest, 1992, p. 40 (for a related example)
Item #: C-22027
Artist: Vilmos Zsolnay
Country: Hungary
Circa: 1900
Dimensions: 8.125" height.
Materials: Iridescent Glazed Earthenware
Signed: with firm's cypher
Literature: Éva Csenkey, Zsolnay: Szecessziós Kerámiák, Budapest, 1992, p. 40 (for a related example)
The Zsolnay factory rose to prominence following the 1867 formation of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which brought an end to political unrest in Hungary. Influenced heavily by the Viennese Secession movement, the factory became known for its innovative designs. One of Zsolnay’s signature innovations, the “eosin” luster glaze—developed in the 1870s—enhances the flowing contours of botanical forms with an iridescent, metallic sheen.
The Zsolnay factory rose to prominence following the 1867 formation of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which brought an end to political unrest in Hungary. Influenced heavily by the Viennese Secession movement, the factory became known for its innovative designs. One of Zsolnay’s signature innovations, the “eosin” luster glaze—developed in the 1870s—enhances the flowing contours of botanical forms with an iridescent, metallic sheen.
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