Cracked Ceramic Perfume Burner - Maison Robj - Art Deco

Sublime and rare night light, perfume burner in cracked ceramic entitled "La Diseuse de Bonne Aventure" it is accompanied by an owl on its shoulder.

This magnificent Craquelé in blue and gold was designed by the Robj company in Boulogne - Billancourt.

Period : Art deco
Dimensions : Height : 15cm
Dimensions of the base : Height : 10cm x Length : 21cm
Stamped under the base

The Robj style is cheerful and mischievous, with colourful trinkets, sometimes utilitarian, always humorous.

From cubism, Robj retains the bright colours and the simplification of the forms which give its creations a playful and warm aspect.

One of the great successes of the company - and indeed of an entire era - was the crackles.

The 1930s saw the birth of a real vogue for these figurines, mostly animals.

Originally, the cracking that appeared on certain ceramics was a manufacturing defect, but from the 1920s onwards, it became a new aesthetic criterion and the thermal shock that caused it was deliberately reproduced.

When they come out of the kiln, the pieces are immersed in cold water and then covered with a white, matt or glossy glaze.

It was not until the end of the decade that coloured cracks appeared.

Once again, the origin of such a process can be found in the Far East. 

As early as the 12th century, the Chinese used this technique, called "truité", to make their own crackles.