Henry Cros (1840-1907), Vase with a pastoral scene, France, c. 1895-1900

The non-specific reference to antiquity here is associated with the ideal pastoral life described by the Roman poet Virgil, placing the artist somewhere between the tradition of symbolism and the modernity of the Nabi group. The subtle luminosity of the colors and originality of the material stem from the pâte de verre technique which the sculptor perfected from 1883 onward. The Pastorale vase is one of his few forays into this type of decorative art; most of his works are low-reliefs such as the monumental History of Fire, visible in the Galerie des Oculi (Level 5).