Antique Victorian handpainted signed Limoges Enamel on metal vase fuschias (2246)

Antique Victorian enamel on metal vase. Made in France 19th century. Signed A Jean.  

Measurements:

 A little over 6 inches high.

Description:

Outstanding artist signed enamel vase with fuschias. The beautiful vivid colored flowers hang from stems in wonderful shades of red and purple and foliage in a wide range of greens ranging from yellow through brown. Pale, icy green ground. Hanging, assymetrical design very typical of the Art Nouveau era. 5 flowers in full bloom and in bud. Excellent quality enamelling. Great detail from stamen and anthers of flowers, to veins and variegated shades of leaves. 
Enamelling over metal. 
A metal chain has been wound around and attached to the neck of the vase. 

Marks: Signed Ate Jean. (capital 'A' with superscript 'te' - see 'photos). 

Condition:

It is unclear whether some looping lines in the enamel are surface cracks or part of the original manufacture. Visible portion of the enamel is intact. We do not know what the chain covers, nor why it was placed there, but it was clearly placed there a very long time ago. 

The story:

At about the same time that Camille Faure was a famous enameller on metal in Limoges, France, Auguste Jean was also working in enamel, mainly on glass. We learned that especially during his early career, he also worked on enamel. As mentioned above, the vase is signed 'A' with superscript 'te' Jean. While this vase could be by Auguste Jean, the signature of Auguste Jean that we saw on glass items did not look identical to this one. The jury is out - we will happily accept corrections and especially happy to learn anything further about the artist.  Please let us know.