Saint-Louis Matrice Small Vase

The Saint-Louis Matrice Small Vase is the smallest of the three Matrice vases, a clear crystal form collection, its closed-neck form taken from the shape of a manufacturing mold and covered in diamond and bevel hand-cuts. At approximately 4.3 inches tall and 4.7 inches in diameter, its compact scale makes it an ideal accent for a shelf, desk, or side table. The closed neck allows it to be used for both minimalist single stems and more opulent floral arrangements, and the combination of the mold silhouette and the Saint-Louis cut vocabulary gives the piece an atypical aesthetic that is unlike any other vase in the maison’s range.

The Matrice vases are produced at the Cristallerie Saint-Louis in Lorraine, mouth-blown and then hand-cut with the diamond and bevel elements that are the signature style of Saint-Louis crystal. The closed-neck form — taken from the shape of a mold — requires precise blowing to achieve the specific proportions van Eijk intended, and the hand-cutting that covers the surface brings the collection’s atypical silhouette into conversation with the maison’s most enduring decorative language.

The Matrice collection was designed by Dutch designer Kiki van Eijk, who graduated from the Eindhoven Academy of Design, and first launched in 2013 with the addition of new vases in 2020. The inspiration came during van Eijk’s first visit to the Saint-Louis manufactory, when she encountered the mold warehouse: over 6,000 molds accumulated across more than 430 years of production, the unsung tools from which every Saint-Louis creation originates. Van Eijk felt compelled to shine a light on these forgotten objects, and gave every piece in the Matrice collection the unique shape of a mold — adorning each one with the hand-cut diamond and bevel elements that are Saint-Louis’s signature style. The result is a collection with an atypical aesthetic that tells the story of its own making: an expression of fascination for fire and molten matter, and for the alliance of ancestral craftsmanship and the tools that make it possible. Established in 1586, Saint-Louis stands as Europe’s oldest crystal manufacturer, holding the title of Royal Cristallerie since 1781.