Lachenal’s vase explores the gorgeous abstract effects of process itself every bit as dramatically as it captures a moment in time. It is a cascade of color held in perfect tension. As one of the pivotal figures of the Art Nouveau, Edmond Lachenal revivifies Chinese vase form and flambe glazes to suit a contemporary context. Modifying the traditional form at the shoulders and lip by creating a floral motif arrested in motion with petals just beginning to unfurl, Lachenal captures a mood or a moment in a natural setting. His murky sang de boeuf, applied heavily over the cream underglaze at the top of the vase, gives way to more subtle treatment to produce a sense of solidity, as if alternating layers of colored sands had settled into place. Delicate blue lines tracing the heart and tulip shapes terminate in a dramatic free-fall. Upon close inspection, areas of white over-glazing reveal yet another dimension of color to produce a mottled effect in blues and purples. As a leader of a new artistic movement, Lachenal moved away from imitation to create something new. Though quite taken by the eastern aesthetic, Lachenal’s heart beat to the energetic and bombastic chords of La Marseillaise. Made shortly after the French Republic’s centennial, Lachenal’s tall vase is indeed remarkable for its sensual boldness in bleu, blanc et rouge; it is a striking symbol of national pride.