Edmond Lachenal
Encyclopedia
Edmond Lachenal was a French potter.
Edmond Lachenal had two sons, Jean-Jacques Lachenal and Raoul Lachenal
who succeeded him as potters. Edmond Lachenal was one of the pivotal figures in the development and creation of Art Nouveau
in ceramics, and his works are comparable in influence and importance to those of Ernest Chaplet, Adrien-Pierre Dalpayrat, and Albert Dammouse. His work is included in collections of Art Nouveau ceramics in the Louvre, Paris and The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
studio, starting when he was 15. At the 1873 World's Fair in Vienna, Lachenal's work as a decorator for Deck received an Honorable Mention. Following this award, he became director of Deck's decoration atelier, a significant promotion for one so young.
In 1889, Lachenal received his first gold medal at the World's Fair in Paris for his work with faience wares in the style of Theodore Deck. These works used bright, polychrome glazes, a feature of his work that would remain constant throughout his career.
.
Unlike his peers, Lachenal did not produce matte glazed works, instead creating his matte effects with hydrofluoric acid, eating away the glossy surface to create a matte effect. This procedure was controversial at the time, but allowed him to produce brightly colored work.
During this period, Emile Decoeur was his apprentice and worked in his studio.
The best known of his collaborations was with the Swedish-born sculptor Agnès de Frumerie (1869–1937). She produced Symbolist figurative sculptures and decorations for the vases. Their collaboration continued until at least 1907.
Lachenal also produced faence editions of vases by Hector Guimard
in the same organic style as the Paris Metro
entrances in 1902.
Edmond Lachenal had two sons, Jean-Jacques Lachenal and Raoul Lachenal
Raoul Lachenal
Raoul Lachenal was a French potter.The son of Edmond Lachenal, Raoul Lachenal worked in his father’s studio until 1911, when he established a new workshop at Boulogne-sur-Seine...
who succeeded him as potters. Edmond Lachenal was one of the pivotal figures in the development and creation of Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...
in ceramics, and his works are comparable in influence and importance to those of Ernest Chaplet, Adrien-Pierre Dalpayrat, and Albert Dammouse. His work is included in collections of Art Nouveau ceramics in the Louvre, Paris and The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Training
He was trained in Theodore Deck'sThéodore Deck
Joseph-Théodore Deck was a 19th-century French potter. Born in Guebwiller, Haut-Rhin, he began learning the trade in his early 20s, moving to Paris at age 24. In 1856 he established his own faience workshop, and began to experiment with the Islamic style of ceramic making, and in particular the...
studio, starting when he was 15. At the 1873 World's Fair in Vienna, Lachenal's work as a decorator for Deck received an Honorable Mention. Following this award, he became director of Deck's decoration atelier, a significant promotion for one so young.
In 1889, Lachenal received his first gold medal at the World's Fair in Paris for his work with faience wares in the style of Theodore Deck. These works used bright, polychrome glazes, a feature of his work that would remain constant throughout his career.
Art Nouveau
His early work was an imitation of what he produced while working for Deck, but by the 1890s, Lachenal's work showed the influences of the trends and fashions of the late nineteenth century: Japanese prints, the shift from faience pottery to grès, and the emergence of Art NouveauArt Nouveau
Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...
.
Unlike his peers, Lachenal did not produce matte glazed works, instead creating his matte effects with hydrofluoric acid, eating away the glossy surface to create a matte effect. This procedure was controversial at the time, but allowed him to produce brightly colored work.
During this period, Emile Decoeur was his apprentice and worked in his studio.
Collaborations with Sculptors
By 1894 Lachenal had begun casting sculptors' work in stoneware with mat glazes.The best known of his collaborations was with the Swedish-born sculptor Agnès de Frumerie (1869–1937). She produced Symbolist figurative sculptures and decorations for the vases. Their collaboration continued until at least 1907.
Lachenal also produced faence editions of vases by Hector Guimard
Hector Guimard
Hector Guimard was an architect, who is now the best-known representative of the French Art Nouveau style of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries....
in the same organic style as the Paris Metro
Paris Métro
The Paris Métro or Métropolitain is the rapid transit metro system in Paris, France. It has become a symbol of the city, noted for its density within the city limits and its uniform architecture influenced by Art Nouveau. The network's sixteen lines are mostly underground and run to 214 km ...
entrances in 1902.