Pair of Cobalt Blue Vases, French Work, circa 1970

A remarkable pair of vases in deep, vibrant cobalt blue, whose chromatic intensity immediately commands attention. The cobalt colour — one of the noblest and most difficult tones to achieve in the ceramic and glass arts — endows these pieces with an exceptional visual presence. The clear, balanced forms speak to the skill of French decorative production in the 1970s, a period when studio pottery and art glass experienced a remarkable revival, driven by the output of regional ateliers and individual artist-craftsmen.

Cobalt blue holds a singular place in the history of Western decorative arts. Used since antiquity for its chemical stability and incomparable depth, it lay at the heart of the great traditions of Delft faience, Sèvres porcelain, and Murano glasswork. In France, the ceramic and art glass workshops of the 1960s and 1970s reconnected with this heritage, reinterpreting it through a resolutely contemporary vocabulary. These vases belong to that lineage, uniting the nobility of a centuries-old colour with the formal freedom of postwar French creation.

Presented as a pair, these vases offer an effect of symmetry and balance that is particularly effective on a chimney mantle, console, or sideboard. The intense cobalt engages in dialogue with the golden tones of brass, the whites of marble, or the lightness of pale wood, creating rich and sophisticated chromatic harmonies. An object of character for an interior that embraces colour.