Wholesale Rare Art Nouveau mantel garniture circa 1900 – Fives-Lille, Gustave De Bruyn model – Iris decoration – Complete 3-piece set

Some pieces embody an entire era. This set is one of them. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, Art Nouveau revolutionized the decorative arts by making nature its principal language. Flowers reach upward, lines curve, objects become sculpture. This rare fireplace garniture, composed of two large vases and a matching jardinière, is a remarkable expression of that. Produced by the Fives-Lille faience factory, an important manufactory in the north of France founded by Gustave De Bruyn, this composition belongs to that great period when French decorative ceramics competed boldly with Belgian and German productions. The model bears the molded reference 765/1, corresponding to the factory’s own cataloging system. The polychrome relief iris decoration, emblematic of the Art Nouveau movement, unfolds elegantly against a deep enamel background, an olive green almost black depending on the light, giving the whole a particular intensity. The petals in shades of purple, pink and cream seem to emerge from the material itself, while the fine gilded scrolls extend the vegetal rhythm with subtlety. The vertical lines, scalloped edges and the pieces’ architectural structure perfectly convey this transitional period in which natural ornament begins to converse with a more assertive geometry. Intended to adorn a fireplace or a console, this garniture once formed the decorative center of a bourgeois Belle Époque interior. Even today, more than a century after its creation, the set retains an intact decorative power. Large vases approximately 32 cm, jardinière approximately 18 cm. Good overall condition, enamels well preserved. Complete sets of this quality are becoming rare on the market, particularly with a preserved manufacturer identification. A strong piece for a collector, an Art Nouveau enthusiast or a characterful interior.