1880 Gien French Faience Pair Majolica Gold & Brown Vases with Armored Knights

Description

A very rare signed pair of Faience vases produced by the prestigious French Gien factory, with a unique enameling technique called “Emaux chagrin” = painful enamels, because of the difficulty and time-consuming craftsmanship. The background consists of a hand-applied enamel, a mixture of gold and colored clay. These museum pieces are decorated on both sides with real gold leaf and the interiors are enameled in an ivory cream color to enhance the contrast with the exterior.