Flowerpot with dancing figures

The body of this biscuit flowerpot consists of three female figures wrapped in a thin dress moved by the wind, who - with their arms stretched backward - hold the edges of the fabric in their hands. The impression is that they are dancing suspended in the air, supported by the whirling tangle of fabric that forms the base of the vase. A theme dear to the Liberty style of the early twentieth century, the depiction of the sinuosity of the female body is emphasized by the presence of waving drapes, which outline the shapes and accentuate the idea of lightness.

The vase was presented at the 1902 International Exhibition of Modern Decorative Art in Turin, in the dining room designed by Giovanni Buffa for Richard-Ginori. Its shape was probably inspired by the official poster designed for the exhibition by the painter Leonardo Bistolfi, which depicted four women in fluttering dresses dancing in a meadow. The idea of translating dance and dancing bodies into porcelain responded to the typical language of Art Nouveau and also had a distinguished precedent in the centerpiece titled “Jeu l'écharpe" modeled by the sculptor Agathon Leonard and made of biscuit by the Sèvres manufactory.