Nestor| Pair of Brass Art Nouveau Vases | Engraved Tulip & Foliate Decoration | England | c.1900–1920

The Art Nouveau movement asked every object to justify its existence through ornament — and these vases answer that requirement in brass, with considerable conviction.

Art Nouveau as a decorative language reached its widest domestic expression between 1895 and 1915, when its characteristic vocabulary of stylised natural forms — elongated tulips, sinuous stems, and foliate scrollwork — appeared across every medium from architecture to metalwork. English brassware manufacturers of the period produced vases, jardinieres, and trays in this idiom for the middle-class household market, combining the visual ambition of the style with the affordability of brass. Nestor, England, was a trade name used by English metalware producers of the period. Pairs of this type — tall, cylindrical, and set on spreading circular bases — were designed as mantelpiece or sideboard ornaments and became enduring decorative forms of the Edwardian interior.

Each vase is cylindrical in form, rising from a broad stepped circular base with a reeded transition to the body. The upper section flares gently to a crimped and scalloped rim — a characteristic Art Nouveau finishing detail. The bodies are engraved throughout with stylised tulip motifs, the central flower heads framed by elongated curving stems and leaves. A lower register of foliate scrollwork and dot-punched detail fills the area above the base, creating a fully worked surface with no plain areas. The engraving is consistent and confidently executed across both pieces. The bases are stamped: Made in / NESTOR / England.

Both vases are present and form a matched pair. One vase remains in good condition with age-consistent surface wear. The second shows dents and some distortion to the base, as visible in the photographs. There are no cracks, splits, or repairs to either piece. Interior surfaces show age-consistent patination and light verdigris at the rims.

Key Details

•  Maker: Nestor, England
•  Material: Brass
•  Decoration: Engraved Art Nouveau tulip, stem, and foliate motifs; crimpfty scalloped rim
•  Period: c.1900–1920
•  Height: 36.5 cm
•  Base Diameter: 14 cm
•  Top Diameter: 8 cm
•  Weight: 1.097 kg and 1.350 kg (combined 2.447 kg)
•  Condition: Good — one vase with age-consistent wear; second with dents and base distortion; no cracks or repairs

Collector Appeal

A striking decorative pair embodying the fluid lines and naturalistic ornament of the Art Nouveau movement. Ideal for mantelpiece or console display, these vases offer strong visual symmetry and period character. They will appeal to collectors of Art Nouveau metalware and to interior decorators seeking authentic early twentieth-century decorative objects with presence and individuality.

Brass was never the most prestigious material for Art Nouveau work — but it was the most democratic, and these vases brought the movement’s distinctive aesthetic into far more homes than bronze ever did.