'Poissons' Vase, circa 1925

In 1928, Jean Dunand took on two special commissions in which he chose to embellish his designs with black lacquered fish. Templeton Crocker commissioned Dunand and Jean Michel Frank to decorate his apartment in San Francisco, California. Frank assumed responsibility for the main entrance hall and salon while Dunand designed the bedroom, dining room and breakfast room. Dunand chose to decorate the breakfast room with Japanese fish motifs set against black lacquer, similar to the present lot. Then, in September 1928, he designed and executed a vase which was presented to Madame Raymond Poincaré, the wife of the Prime Minister and former President of the French Republic. Louis Barthou, Minister of Justice, conceived of the idea to present Madame Poincaré with the vase during the celebrations at the Poincaré's country residence at Sampigny, near Bar-le-Duc, France. A few months after the official commission, Dunand sketched the vase in the margin of a letter written to Dr. Amédée Baumgartner in September 1928, now in the collection of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris. The realized vase for Madame Poincaré is closely related to the present lot, embellished with gold and vibrant orange-red fish.