Lucien Levy-Dhurmer Three-Handled 'Alchemist' Covered Jar

True to its name, Alchemist Jar, this three-handled ceramic vessel fuses symbols drawn from across Eastern cultures—from Ottoman tulips to Persian pomegranates, opium poppy pods, and Japanese hollyhock leaves. The tulips, pomegranates, and seed pods recall motifs found in Near Eastern tiles, dishes, and textiles, while the hollyhock leaves—emblem of the Tokugawa clan, Japan’s final shogunate—adorned many Japanese decorative objects imported to France, from ceramics and lacquerware to samurai armor.