Couture Edition · Lalage
| Product: | Lalage |
| Description: | Couture Edition, limited edition of 25 |
| Design: | Franz Anton Bustelli, 1759/60 |
| Decor: | Dominique Sirop, 2008 |
| Height: | 16 cm |
| Item number: | 18.955 |
Turning French couturier Dominique Sirop’s design into porcelain became one of the most complex jobs undertaken for the Commedia dell’Arte – Couture Edition. Sirop’s design for Lalage is derived from his sumptuous, luxurious collections made from shiny metallic-coated fabrics decorated with rhinestones or sequins. The delicate rose-coloured upper part of the figure – an ordinary maid in the Commedia dell’Arte – is relatively straightforward, but on the skirt Sirop went for an opulently sequined pattern.
In order to get the appearance of tiny metal discs and the effect they have on flowingfabric, the porcelain manufactory masters, like pattern designers in fashion houses, sought completely new materials or working methods. Since such discs cannot be used on porcelain because of the high firing temperatures involved, a suitable counterpart compatible with the conditions of porcelain manufacture and painting had to be found for the sequins specified in the design sketches. The material eventually chosen was the precious metal platinum, which after the firing process is polished shiny so as to reflect the light. To represent the different facets of the sequins, a variety of shapes and surfaces had to be evolved and applied to the figure in numerous variations and irregular lines. This is particularly difficult, given the conspicuously busy shapes and patterns of the skirt.
Creating the crackle pattern on Lalage’s foot also proved a great challenge. Crackle is a web of fine cracks in the glaze on porcelain caused by the body and the glaze contracting differently during cooling. However, the multi-coloured crackle Sirop wanted cannot be produced by the natural manufacturing process, so the porcelain masters had to improvise the fine, irregular shapes freehand.
Individual figures are only available with Limit No. 16 – 25. It is not possible to order specific numbers. The figures will be supplied with a certificate in a gift box specially designed for the collection.