André Fernand Thesmar (2 March 1843 – 5 April 1912) was a

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

enameler. He is credited with bringing the style of

soft-paste porcelain Soft-paste porcelain (sometimes simply "soft paste", or "artificial porcelain") is a type of ceramic material in pottery, usually accepted as a type of porcelain. It is weaker than "true" hard-paste porcelain, and does not require either its hig ...

back into style, alongside sections with gold foil backings, in the 20th century. He also used the method of

plique-à-jour ''Plique-à-jour'' (French for "letting in daylight") is a vitreous enamelling technique where the enamel is applied in cells, similar to cloisonné, but with no backing in the final product, so light can shine through the transparent or trans ...

, (French for "braid letting in daylight") including works that were often inspired by Japanese and Chinese enameling. This artistic work required great deal of expertise, skill and delicacy. He showed his work at the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle. His work is found in the collections of the

Walters Art Museum The Walters Art Museum is a public art museum located in the Mount Vernon, Baltimore, Mount Vernon neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. Founded and opened in 1934, it holds collections from the mid-19th century that were amassed substantially ...

, the Hessian State Museum, and the

Toledo Museum of Art The Toledo Museum of Art is an internationally known art museum located in the Old West End neighborhood of Toledo, Ohio. It houses a collection of more than 30,000 objects. With 45 galleries, it covers 280,000 square feet and is currently in th ...

. File:André Fernand Thesmar - Memorial Cup - Walters 44571.jpg, Memorial Cup, (circa 1892).

The Walters Art Museum The Walters Art Museum is a public art museum located in the Mount Vernon neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. Founded and opened in 1934, it holds collections from the mid-19th century that were amassed substantially by major American art an ...

, Baltimore.

Artistic Creations

The following are some of the works by André Fernand Thesmar. # Cup with Poppies (1903): Also known as Bowl of Anemones. Place of Origin is

Neuilly-sur-Seine Neuilly-sur-Seine (; 'Neuilly-on-Seine'), also known simply as Neuilly, is an urban Communes of France, commune in the Hauts-de-Seine Departments of France, department just west of Paris in France. Immediately adjacent to the city, north of the ...

, France. It is a technical tour de force that requires glass enamels to be suspended within a filigree framework of gold or silver without a metal backing. #Memorial cup (circa 1892): #Japanese ornamental plate (circa 1872–1880): On a blue background, there are 3 birds on a small branch, surrounded by vegetation and a butterfly, created in a Japanese style. #Cornflower bowl (circa 1891): Made with

cloisonné Cloisonné () is an ancient technology, ancient technique for decorating metalwork objects with colored material held in place or separated by metal strips or wire, normally of gold. In recent centuries, vitreous enamel has been used, but inla ...

enamel. #Fuchsia vase (circa 1907): Made of an attractive milky white color, it has translucent enamel set in gold cloisonné.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thesmar, Andre Fernand French enamellers 1843 births 1912 deaths 20th-century French ceramists