Ernest CHAPLET

(1835 – 1909)
Manufacture HAVILAND & CIE – Paris – France

Vase Opéra de Paris

Brown enamelled stoneware
High-relief decor of musical instruments, a hat, and a bird.
Encircling low-relief decor of curtains, draperies, trimmings, and tassels.
Encircling low-relief decor of spectators with fans and opera glasses in the boxes and galleries.
Low-relief decor of a green door.
Engraved décor of dancers, an orchestra, boxes, and balconies.
Engraved decor of a yellow chandelier and yellow candelabra.
Signed with the rosary mark for Chap(e)let and H&C°.
Numbered 106 – R3 – BI.
1882 – 1885.
Unique piece.
Height : 39,5 cm / 15.5 inches.
Diameter : 39,5 cm / 15.5 inches.

Origin

Private collection – Versailles – France.

History

The Opéra Garnier was inaugurated in 1875.
Architect Charles Garnier did not consider electricity to be reliable enough and limited its use to a few stage effects.
In 1881, the Opéra became one of the first buildings in Paris to benefit from a large-scale electrical installation, which was a major event followed by the whole of Parisian society.
The 340 gas lamps in the grand chandelier in the auditorium were replaced by electric bulbs.
Our vase is part of this history.