Julia Frezin Van Zype

JULIA FREZIN-VAN ZYPE (Belgium, 1870-1950).
Vase, ca. 1900.
Silver-plated pewter.
Signed on the front.
Foundry stampH. Luppens & Cie.
Weight: 3.550 g.
Measurements: 29 x 17 x 15 cm.

Art Nouveau silver plated pewter vase with floral decoration in relief. Signed on the front by the designer Julia Vanzype. The reverse reads: H. Luppens & Cie Editeurs, Etain pur (Publisher of the work).

Julia Frezin-Van Zype, daughter of the painter Louis Frezin (Belgium, 1830-1903), forged her own artistic career. After obtaining two diplomas as a drawing teacher (1887 and 1888), she became the first woman to be enrolled at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels when it opened its doors to female students in September 1889. A student of Jean-François Portaels, Frezin-Van Zype excelled not only in painting, but also as a sculptor and in metal art. Her works, which include bronze busts (such as the one presented at the Antwerp Salon of 1899) and Art Nouveau vases and decorative metal objects, are today sought-after pieces in galleries and auctions.

H. Luppens & Cie was a famous 19th century Belgian foundry, with its workshops located in Saint-Gilles, Brussels. They specialized in the production of bronze objects, furniture, clocks and ceiling lamps. Their prestige was forged by manufacturing numerous high-quality items - from complex clock sets to large chandeliers - that were distributed worldwide.