Dated 1914, this vase belongs to a pivotal period in Jean Dunand’s career, when his work was still centred on the exploration of metal. Worked from copper, its deeply ribbed coloquinte form creates an organic, sculptural volume, contrasted by the regularity of its silver-inlaid decoration. By this date, Dunand had already mastered the inlaying of precious metals, a technique developed during the preceding years that became a defining feature of his early dinanderie.
The coloquinte form occupies a distinctive place in Dunand’s vocabulary of this period and was explored in several variations, both in metalwork and bronze. Here, the oxidized copper surface and scattered silver inlays animate the vase without detracting from the strength of its sculptural form, anticipating Dunand’s enduring exploration of the relationship between material, ornament and volume.