The present model vase was presented at the Great Northern Exhibition, Stockholm, 1897 and the Exposition Universelle, Paris, 1900.

Herman August Kähler, who began his career as an apprentice in his father’s workshop and later worked in Berlin, Strasbourg, and Paris, took the helm of his father’s company in 1875 and immediately began experimenting with metallic glazes. His commitment to artistry attracted Karl Hansen Reistrup, who joined the firm in 1888 and quickly became the pottery’s artistic director. Reistrup, who was trained in Paris with experience in glass and porcelain, oversaw the design and decoration of the wares while Kähler created his own simple forms on the potter’s wheel.

A unique and exceptional example of the collaboration between ceramist and sculptor, the present lot is a testament to how both artists benefited from each other's strength early in their careers – Kähler deft in creating forms and Reistrup’s artistic sensibility for design and decoration.

Thrown from fine clay and glazed with sapphire blue luster and 24 karat gold leaf, the vase is groundbreaking in its modern expression and illustrates the transformation of pottery from a utilitarian object to a work of fine art.

With their successful working relationship thus established, Kähler and Reistrup achieved recognition at the Great Nordic Exhibition in 1888 held in Copenhagen and the Exposition Universelle of 1889 in Paris.