MAITLAND SMITH COQUILLE d’OEUF VASE
For several decades, Maitland Smith has been a successful American studio specializing in furniture and decorative objects made of exotic materials including stone, shagreen, fossil and eggshell. Many of their pieces revive traditional French techniques that haven’t been used since in advent of Modernism.
In the 1920’s French craftsman began to experiment with eggshell inlay, or as they called it coquille d’oeuf. The technique is an old Vietnamese tradition that was introduced to the west towards the end of France’s colonial presence in Asia. During the years of art deco, furniture designers such as Jean Dunand created spectacular pieces with this technique. In December 2009, Christie’s New York sold a remarkable screen embellished with coquille d’oeuf.
While this vase is younger and less expensive than that screen, it is still a wonderful object and a paradigm of Maitland Smith’s aesthetic; exotic but not kitschy, masculine and refined.
Original label. Excellent condition. Circa 1970’s.
20”H 6”Base
$650
