Gabriel Argy-Rousseau "Oiseaux exotiques" Pate-de-verre Glass Vase

Entitled Oiseaux Exotiques, this vase employs a striking palette and rhythmic avian frieze to echo the chromatic visual language emerging from the Soviet Union’s Constructivist display at the 1925 Exposition des Arts Décoratifs. A procession of black-and-red Eurasian cranes circles the vessel, each bird rendered at a different angle, creating a dynamic sense of motion. The collar and shoulder are bordered by stylized feather motifs in alternating bands of black, red, and white, while the ground is animated with white starbursts that deepen into graduated black centers. Together, these elements reflect the period’s fascination with the Constructivist triad of white, red, and black—colors widely interpreted to signify the bourgeoisie, the communists, and the counter-revolutionaries—transforming political symbolism into a sophisticated decorative program.