Vase "In the royal garden of Aranjues"

Country: Spain

Manufactory: Lladro

Date of establishment: 2012

Sculptor: Miguel Angel Santaeulalia

Size (cm): 62*28 

Limited Series

Porcelain Story

And let me please you, my friends, with an acquaintance with a unique work of porcelain art. Yes, and together with you I will rejoice at its contemplation. Previously, I somehow did not pay much attention to vases. Moreover, I did not really understand why in the largest porcelain expositions of Dresden, Meissen, Vienna, Naples, London and Valencia, so much space is devoted to the presentation of vases. Different in form, according to the technique of execution, in size. I didn’t really understand it also because museums are created, first of all, not for experts and specialists in this industry, of which, in principle, there are not so many. Yes, they themselves know a lot of things that sometimes museum attendants are not given to know. But the attention of an ordinary visitor, that is, a person, as a rule, not very dedicated to all the subtleties of the presented subject, is primarily interested in the scale of the composition understandable to everyone, the intrigue of the plot, the many participants in the picture frozen in porcelain with an abundance of subtle expressive details that make this picture three-dimensional , multifaceted, causing a desire to consider it from all sides.

To be honest, even knowing how valuable this or that vase, created centuries ago, but at the same time very palely painted by an old artist, can be, I cannot force myself to consider for a long time a simple plot depicted in modest strokes on several ornate medallions. The majority of museum visitors behave in the same way. Whether it's a complex work, distinguished not only by the painting, which requires explanation, but also by the brightness of the characters presented, created by the master's hands in such a way that literally every detail attracts attention. This skill is distinguished by the authors of vase compositions from Japan and China. The technique of creating all kinds of relief paintings around the perimeter of the vases is unique and very complex.

There are about 200 similar vases in our collection. But here, probably, one should not compare painted vases, traditionally created in Italy, Germany, Denmark, Russia, in the same China, in England, France, Ukraine, with voluminous, embossed, plot vases. They are just different. And this is probably the beauty of each of them. But, in my opinion, it was the Spanish masters who surpassed everyone, who managed to create vases, viewing which from all sides, one can only marvel at the many independent and detailed self-sufficient characters of the plot, brought together by the sculptor on the surface of the vase.

Once I introduced the readers of this column to the “Japanese vase”, created at the Lladro manufactory. For a long time it was the best of these vases. But today's vase presented to your attention is much more unique than that one. Still, the development of new technologies and the improvement of the skills of Spanish sculptors are capable of producing truly unique results.

I have never been in the royal gardens in the suburbs of Madrid, so amazingly recreated in the subjects of this unusual porcelain composition. And I don't know if I can visit them. But the spirit of the amazing beauty of the place and the atmosphere of a bygone time will always be present in this rarest work.