In 1993, the museum was able to acquire a gilded bronze vase by Philippon, after a model by Guimard, similar to the one which decorated the dining room. To extend Guimard’s representation in the museum’s collections and emphasise his proximity to the ceramicist Edmond Lachenal, by whom the museum holds several ceramics, the Petit Palais bought a version of the Guimard-Lachenal vase at public auction in 2018.

Guimard took a very early interest in ceramics, which he used to embellish his architectural creations. He collaborated with various firms, including Émile Muller of Ivry-sur-Seine, and with Alexandre Bigot, who decorated the entranceway of the Castel Béranger building with sandstone panels. In 1897, he took part in the Exhibition of Ceramics and Kiln Arts, presenting a “Porch for a Large Parisian Residence” produced by the company of Gilardoni & Brault in Choisy-le-Roi. He appears, however, to have quite quickly abandoned the use of architectural ceramics.

Only three objects in ceramic stoneware executed in Sèvres can be attributed to Guimard: the Chalmont vase, the Cerny vase, and the Binelles vase. Produced by the ceramicist Edmond Lachenal after a model by Hector Guimard, the Guimard-Lachenal vase is a reinterpretation of the Chalmont vase. Two other examples are known, one held in a private collection, the other at the Bröhan Museum in Berlin. The Petit Palais’s vase differs from them in its beautiful blue-green colouring. With its contorted silhouette, this vase is highly representative of the Guimard style, simultaneously soft, undulating and structured.

D. M.