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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...
The 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!
HB
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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