Longwy Art Deco Primavera Vase, France, circa 1920s

Longwy Art Deco Primavera Vase, France, circa 1920s
A refined gourd shaped or onion shape, a Primavera vase from Faïenceries et Emaux de Longwy, France, circa the 1920s. The profile swells generously from a small collar to a broad, rounded body, a classic gourd form favored in the period for its poised balance and sculptural presence.

The surface shows Longwy’s signature crackled glaze in a vivid turquoise often called bleu Longwy, with raised slip lines that create a cloisonné effect, here organized as rhythmic concentric rounds that travel the circumference and emphasize the vessel’s curves. Black outlining sharpens each motif, with a glossy neck provides a calm counterpoint, and the whole reads as a confident study in geometry, light, and color.

The underside carries the important Primavera mark used for works designed or retailed by Atelier Primavera, the design studio of Le Printemps in Paris, typically stamped “Atelier Primavera Longwy France.” This collaboration brought leading modern designers to Longwy’s workshops and yielded some of the most forward ceramics of the decade, distinguished by bold forms, strong palettes, and refined craftsmanship.

Color and technique are central to the appeal. Bleu Longwy, a saturated turquoise with fine craquelure, became a house hallmark, while the raised black lines define the pattern with crisp graphic clarity, a ceramic analogue to metal cloisonné. On this gourd form, the circling bands of roundels animate the volume and catch natural light in a way that heightens contrast between the glossy black and the luminous blue. Period examples of this very shape and related gourd forms by Longwy for Primavera are documented in marketplace and catalog records, underscoring the model’s popularity in the late twenties.