Vase with octopus and crab Eduard Stellmacher Amphora-Werke ca. 1900

The Paris World’s Fair of 1900 served as a prominent platform for artistic innovation. Among the most striking contributions was the work of the Bohemian manufacturer Amphora, whose creations attracted international attention. This vase model featuring an octopus is part of that celebrated collection.
Toward the end of the 1890s, Art Nouveau artists increasingly turned to Japanese art for inspiration. They were particularly fascinated by its ornamental depictions of aquatic creatures such as fish, crabs, and other marine life. By around 1900, such motifs had become widespread in a variety of stylized forms. Among the Bohemian manufacturers, it was especially the Amphora works that helped shape this trend—due in large part to Eduard Stellmacher.

Stellmacher combined his deep knowledge of contemporary movements in art and design with a drive to develop innovative forms for the company’s production. The preparations for the 1900 Paris Exposition likely provided a significant creative impetus. There, Amphora presented a new collection of works adorned with lifelike representations of fish, octopuses, crabs, lizards, and dragons.
Stellmacher’s efforts to faithfully render animal forms were grounded in detailed anatomical studies. Surviving sketches and notes on the proportions and structure of various animals testify to this. It is also known that he visited zoos and aquariums to observe animals’ appearance and movement firsthand.

This vase features a low-relief design with a meticulously detailed crab and a dynamic octopus whose tentacles coil around the body of the vessel. A transparent glaze, combined with painterly accents in metallic brown and a matte earthy tone, lends the piece remarkable depth and expressiveness. Amphora’s characteristic color gradient—from green to soft pink—harmoniously enhances the decoration.
The press mark “PARIS 1900” and the execution confirm that this is an authentic piece from Amphora’s collection for the 1900 Paris Exposition.