TOLEDO, SPAIN, 19TH CENTURY

The design of this spectacular vase finds its inspiration in geometric patterns found on architectural elements of the Alhambra palace in Grenada. Spanish metalworkers such as the Zuloagas became masters at replicating and damascening the Moorish motifs onto their metalwork. Not only did the smiths adopt the intricate motifs but they also copied the Nasrid motto in Arabic script "la ghalib illa Allah" (there is no victor but God) which also appears on our example. This vase showcases an amalgamation of influences typified by the burst of creativity and originality of leading 19th century European artisans.
Our example would have been intended for decorative rather than practical use. The most celebrated example of the Alhambra vase artistic form dated circa 1400 is in the collection of the Museo Nacional de Arte Hispanomusulmán, Grenada (inv. R.E.290). Made of ceramic and painted in lusterware, the Nasrid-period vases were often decorated with a band of Arabic inscriptions below a narrow neck with vertical repeating designs. Here, the artists reference the traditional form, the neck encircled by geometric and foliate motifs, while the shimmering damascene alludes to the soft lustre of the ceramic glaze and the band across the body of the vase decorated with undulating floral vines and Arabic calligraphy.
The process by which the present vase was produced was meticulous, and in almost direct contradiction to the industrial revolution, entirely by hand. This involved drawing the designs by hand on the iron surface, the resulting shallow striations were cut in three directions and evenly spaced close together. The gold and silver wires were then laid down and permanently attached by the manual process of punching so that the surfaces becomes flattened and each wire joins together to appear as if executed from a single sheet of metal (see Lavin, pp. 36-37). The process was highly technical, and one that could not be rushed. An article from 1874 notes that two ‘precious’ vases in repoussé iron, and gold and silver damascene destined for a ‘riche amateur anglaise, M. Alfred Morrison’ took three years to complete (La République française, 14 June 1874, p. 3).
A similar vase, but of a monumental scale and signed by, Plácido Zuloaga (d. 1910) was sold in these Rooms, 8 July 2021, lot 25.