Once it was possible to have large areas of background colour without ‘strength wiring’ the design possibilities opened up. Butterflies were always a popular decoration, and this vase gives us six of them, all different. Note that the neck of this vase is a more traditional piece of dense wirework including ‘strength spirals’, presumably because the thin neck was where the vase was more vulnerable to enamel breaking away.
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The butterflies themselves are some of the best designed of those covered on this site to date. The enamels used within the butterflies are quite dull and modest, which is interesting. Probably the designer wanted the expanse of background red to be the main attraction to the eye.
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The central band is also rather attractive. Very simple but it definitely adds to the beauty of the vase. Once again it is possible that the vase needed a strong wired section in the middle.
Given the continued use of wiring and the dull enamels it seems likely that this is an early experiment in having a large ‘unwired’ area. The result is very attractive nevertheless.
Object 24. Vase height 15.4 cm weight 95 gm.
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