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Further examples to tempt you; same terms and conditions as on the previous pages. And again...just a reminder: each piece comes with a written guarantee of authenticity, we accept MasterCard, Visa,  PayPal, personal checks, etc. and have a liberal lay-a-way policy.

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  The Meadows Collection
Adela & Mark Meadows

meadows@oldquimper.com

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Henriot Quimper Figure...Veille Femme de Paimpol
by Louis Henri Nicot

A superb faïence figure from this issue's The Town, The People, and The Pottery article....

Louis Henri Nicot (1878-1944) was the grandson of a potter and thus was interested in ceramics at an early age. Born in Rennes, the capital of Brittany, he won a scholarship to study at the prestigious Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris after completing his studies in Rennes. In Paris, he settled in the fourteenth arrondissement, the traditional "Breton Neighborhood", and married a woman from eastern Brittany....thereby keeping his Breton roots nurtured while based in Paris.

An accomplished sculptor, through the behest of Mathurin Méheut, Nicot began a relationship with the Henriot pottery at the end of 1923. On January 7, 1924, Nicot gave the original sculpture of this piece to Jules Henriot with the suggestion that it be produced in biscuit...meaning in fired clay only, not glazed.  Apparently, Henriot thought otherwise, because this piece is gloriously glazed!

Sometimes called Veille Femme à la canne, it is a fabulously-crisp early example...even the hem of her apron is evident! As molds for faïence figures are used and  re-used, such fine details are lost...particularly evident in the hands and facial expression.

There is no loss here...you look at it and almost sense that she is breathing...

...and out of the corner of your eye, you swear that you saw her hands move!

She stands 15 inches high on a base that is 6.75 inches wide and 5.25 inches deep.

She wears the traditional costume of Paimpol...a town in the former Côtes de Nord department (now called Côtes d'Armor)...just south of the Ile de Bréhat on the Bay of Saint Brieuc. Her vibrant deep blue cape is decorated all over with a stylized motif and her apron has subtle green on green stripes.

She is in fantastic condition...three small chips to the base...one on the right and two on the left. There is a bit of roughness to the glaze on her coiffe, but that is original to when it was made. (The white spots in the images are reflections of the light against the folds of her costume).

It is proudly signed Henriot Quimper 145 on the underside...

...and has the raised artist's mark " L.H. Nicot" on the side of the base.

We should all wear our experiences as well!

Saint-Clément Donkey-form Double Salt

This Saint-Clément faïence donkey-form salière double or double salt is J-P's selection for this month's Memo from J-P column.  The pottery in the eastern France town of Saint-Clément began operations in the mid-eighteenth century...originally as part of a tax dodge for a pottery in Luneville...the taxes in Luneville being much higher even though it was less than ten miles from Saint-Clément.

At the time this piece was made...last quarter of the nineteenth century...the pottery was run by descendents of Germain Thomas who had become the director of the firm in 1824. Towards the end of the nineteenth century, the factory became part of the Keller and Guerin pottery factory of Luneville.

The molding is wonderful and the artistry of the decoration is readily apparent. It measures 3.9375 inches high, 4.25 inches wide, and 4 inches deep and is in great condition...there is a minute chip to the edge of one of the salt baskets and some roughness to one of his ears. We're debating whether that's original to when it was made or if it was previously repaired...maybe, maybe not...too hard to tell. If it was repaired, then the restoration is truly top notch!

As with each French faïencerie, the style of floral decoration used at Saint-Clément is very distinctive...

...it was used with great success on the baskets for salt that are to each side...

...

...and perhaps donkeys get a "bad rap" because this one certainly has a very sweet expression...

The piece is marked on the bottom with the mark of the Saint-Clément pottery that was used prior to its purchase by Keller and Guerin...

Authentic Vintage Chemin de Fer d'Orléans "Bretagne" Poster by Charles Hallo

The emblematic view of Quimper's rue Kéréon is the theme of this  fabulous original poster designed by Charles Hallo in 1919.

In the late nineteenth-early twentieth century, if you lived in the area of Brittany known as Finistère, the town of Quimper was where you had to go for any important administrative transaction.

The family in the foreground is dressed in the traditional "important occasion/administrative transaction" costume of the commune of Pont-l'Abbé...less than fifteen miles southwest of Quimper.

The train service connecting Paris with the hinterlands of Brittany prompted the creation of several wonderful posters promoting railway travel to the region, but this is the only one to single out the famous pottery town of Quimper!

Whether you're a railway buff, a Francophile, or someone who knows and appreciates good graphics...this is a fantastic poster!

Quimper's rue Kéréon is gloriously drawn by the noted poster artist Charles Hallo...who created his works using the name "Alo".

Here's a recent photograph taken from a similar vantage point...
...not much has changed...rue Kéréon remains one of the principal shopping streets of Old Town Quimper.


In an interesting play of light, the poster shows Cathédrale St. Corentin  highlighted in the background while the colorfully-dressed family strolls in the foreground. The statue of King Gradlon overlooks the comings and goings...just as it does today...

T
he medieval buildings, the bretons and bretonnes going about their business...it's just fantastic! It was printed in 1919 and features the early crest of the town of Quimper...

 The cerf or stag shown on the crest, called a karv in the Breton language, is a Celtic symbol for the beginning of life, specifically the renewal of life in the Otherworld.


The colors and attention to detail are great...to the left a closer view of the family going about their business...the petit breton taking charge of the umbrella!

The poster has been professional lined and measures 32" by 44" The image size is 29" by 41". The image and colors are absolutely spectacular! It is in amazing condition...if you're familiar with poster grading ...this is in A- condition. (If you're not familiar with the grading system for posters...that's basically as good as you'll ever find).

You know we don't use the term "rare" very often...but this Brittany travel poster is incredibly rare. Back then, posters were disposable...simply adhered to walls or bulletin boards and certainly never intended to be saved.

Hallo's distinctive signature is to the lower left...
...and the printer's markings are along the bottom...


This is an extremely rare opportunity to own an authentic vintage Chemin de Fer poster featuring the town of Quimper!

Vintage Brittany Travel Poster

This vintage travel poster was intended to entice travelers to take the train and explore the wonders of Brittany.

The artist, J. Jacquelin, combined several typical Breton scenes...the ocean, of course, along with a seaside village with gatherings of seamen, and one of the many historical lighthouses...


Illustrating the region's interesting blend of modern and traditional customs and costumes...

...a couple of petite bretonnes soak up the sun  in close proximity to beach combers in more modern attire.

And one of the regions famous calvaires...centuries-old carved granite sculptures is featured as well...

Published in 1965, its condition is A-...the colors are vibrant, the upper left corner has a soft fold and there are some very small bits of usure on the sides...in vintage poster circles, that's just about mint condition!

It measures 39.675 inches by 24.675 inches and is unmounted.

The artist's signature is on the lower left...

...and the railway included the following notations along the very bottom...




Malicorne Nineteenth Century figure of Sainte Marie, Vierge d'Accouchée

This is a vierge d'accouchée...a specific form of figure of the Virgin Mary holding the infant Jesus that is intended to serve as a candle holder.

It being a true vierge d'accouchée is verified by the small hole in the crown...the hole signifies that it was specifically designed to hold a candle that would be lit as soon as a pregnant woman went into labor...accoucher is a French verb that means "to give birth".

Sainte Marie is the patron to women in labor, and she's also the patron to the human race in general, as well as wine growers, cooks, fishermen, and cyclists in particular. And as if that wasn't enough, she also provides protection from stormy weather! With that much versatility,you could light a candle in it for many occasions.

(Many French faïence vierges are erroneously described as being "d'accouchée...note that without the hole in the crown, it is not a d'accouchéé version...the saints with solid crowns were intended to hold holy water).

Standing 9.5 inches high with a 3.675 inch diameter base, the figure is in mint condition...as lovely as when it was first made...in Malicorne's Plat d'Etain pottery factory during the last quarter of the nineteenth century.

Unsigned, we guarantee it to be vintage Malicorne...the mold is pictured on page 53 of Stéphane Deschang's book, Les Faïences de Malicorne.

The expressions are particularly well-painted...

...and the colors exhibit the mellowness that is characteristic of Malicorne production. The faces have a vibrancy that stems from the deep red aspect of Malicorne clay influencing the overglaze.

The circular base holds the inscription...

...and by looking at the underneath of the base...

...you can see the color of the clay and note that it was produced using the molding method known as éstampée...later examples used liquified clay and are totally hollow.

Condition is mint...complete with all the wonderful paint bloops and fingerprints indicative of early Malicorne production!


HB Quimper Plate...Pêcheurs series designed by Paul Fouillen

In many respects, the Breton pêcheur or fisherman, especially as he is portrayed by Paul Fouillen, is emblematic of the entire region. Dressed in his ubiquitous large, floppy béret, he represents a rhythm and way of life that endured for centuries.

And so does Fouillen's petite bretonne...she represents the powerful Breton female, who rising to economic challenges in the early days of the twentieth century, altered her tradition-bound coiffe to accommodate working at the fish canneries. Penn-sardin they called her...sardine head.

This glorious plate is from the pêcheur series, created for the HB factory in 1925 when Fouillen was the head of one of the factory's artistic studios.

It measures 9.675 inches in diameter and has a colorful border of stylized seaweed...

(Mark made me use this giant image of the seaweed border because he was unhappy with the photograph of the overall plate...he tried and tried, but couldn't avoid annoying reflections on the bottom part of the plate, making it look less vibrant in that area...which it isn't.

But just between you and me, I happen to know that he has been "campaigning" for a portable studio set-up...)

Anyway, in real life, the plate is gorgeously colorful all the way around!

There's a glaze pop between the golden-yellow and blue stripe surrounding the central motif that is original to when it was made. You can see it around "2 o'clock". And it has lots of "blued-in" areas along the back edge of the plate's rim where the glaze has flaked off...no doubt due to those dastardly nasty French plate hangers...I counted twenty-one places where it was blued-in! But as you can see, they aren't apparent from the front of the plate...

It is signed on the back...


Henriot Quimper Biniou Player Double Salt

A traditionally-dressed biniou player forms the handle on this Quimper faïence double salt from the Henriot factory, circa 1925.

Handsome from all angles; here he is from one side...

...other side...

and from the back...

Overall, the piece measures 4.45 inches high, 4.4375 inches wide, and 2.4375 inches deep.

He has a bit of missing glaze on his nose and some roughness to his elbows and hat...and smudges and splatters galore...around the base, inside the salt receptacles...even on the signature...

...but he's still a mighty handsome biniou player!

H
B Quimper Plates...Designed by Georges Brisson
 


Having one Georges Brisson plate is exciting enough...

...but two, and a matched pair...that's just fantastic!

Not only that, but these are a true, matched pair... painted by the same artist, at the same time, fired in the same kiln, etc. and while we would dearly love to keep them together...if you really only need one of them, we understand...so they are being offered for sale individually.

During the time that Georges Brisson (1902-1980) was in his first stint in the military, i.e. 1922-1923, he was introduced to Quimper's HB factory. He would begin a collaboration with the factory in 1923...continuing to provide designs until around 1928. By 1930, he had decided to concentrate on painting on canvas and was no longer  associated with Quimper...although the HB factory continued to use his early designs...and can you blame them?


Inspired by the sea and the traditional costumes worn by the bigoudènes residing in the area of the town of Pont-l'Abbé,  on one of these  9.25 inch diameter plates, a lovely petite breton and her sailor beau pose demurely on the shore...

...on the other, the pose changes as the wind sweeps the shore, causing her ribbons and skirt to follow.

Condition is very good...they both have areas on the back of the edges of the plate where the blue glaze has flaked off and has been "blued-in". The plates themselves were not chipped, just the glaze was affected. You can definitely feel it if you rub your hand around the edges, but that area is not visible when the plates are displayed and who's really going to be rubbing their hands around the edges anyway?

They date from circa 1925 and are 9.25 inches in diameter...a matched pair...both are marked HB Quimper within the motif on the front and with the studio artist's "squiggle" on the reverse...

 



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