Collecting Quimper

A Witchy - Halloween Sunday Favourites Rerun.

2011-10-22T14:15:00.002+02:00

Chari @Happy to Design graciously offers us each week the opportunity of reprising a blog written weeks, months or in some cases years ago.

This allows new visitors to our blog to discover even more about the QCI.

This week a post created by Sarah (Hyacinths For The Soul) for Halloween 2010.

It's October and soon to be time for witches in the air.

19th Century Quimper Plate Marked HB Only

Photo Courtesy of Lucy Williams

Some may think that Quimper faience was painted only to depict the familiar Breton folk, but take a look above at this 19th century plate from HB. Not only is the shape of this plate unusual and charming, it is painted with the whimsy of a gaggle of witches on broomstick flying across the sky.

19th Century Quimper Plate Marked HB Quimper

Photo Courtesy of Lucy Williams

This plate is thought to depict the

infamous witch in the

story of Hansel and Gretel.

I find the vivid colors and the interesting border to be perfect for the Autumn season.

19th Century French Faience Plate

Photo Courtesy of Maggie @ Normandy Life

I don't have specific information to share on this plate.

It was an auction item some years ago at a French Auction.

Detail of 19th Century French Faience Plate

Photo Courtesy of Maggie @ Normandy Life

It's a perfect plate for Halloween with its flying bats, a witch on broomstick, and a winged devil.

Faïencerie d'Art Breton Witch Plates

Photo Courtesy of Brittany Byways

As you can see, witches on Quimper pottery go back to HB production at the end of the 19th century. The two charmers above are plates currently produced by Faïencerie d'Art Breton

and feature witches from the era of the original HB production of these plates.

10" Faïencerie d'Art Breton Witch Plate With Jack-O-Lantern Border

Photo Courtesy of Brittany Byways

The plates are scalloped, and the decor is on a white background

that is not as blue as it looks in these photos.

10" Faïencerie d'Art Breton Witch Plate With Ghost Border

Photo Courtesy of Brittany Byways

Each is pierced for hanging,

but wouldn't they be fun for a special Halloween tablescape?

Linking Sarah's wonderful Witchy post also
to Seasonal Sundays # 71

with The Tablescaper

Happy Halloween!

Motto plates

2011-09-04T17:35:00.000+02:00

Are you a member of the Quimper Club International, do you have a plate or plates similar to these?
Inscribed with a motto or saying?

Then the Editorial Board of the QCI Journal needs you!

A special article is planned to appear in the December issue of the Journal, featuring these interesting plates, and more photographs (and information about them) are urgently needed.

Please email journal@quimperclub.org if you can help.
Merci beaucoup,
The Ed Board.

Phillipe Lalys Limited Edition Bombard

2011-08-21T19:19:00.000+02:00

Musical instruments in faïence are part of the grand tradition of French faïence. Artist-faïencier Philippe Lalys, former artistic director of HB-Henriot, has created a fabulous bombard (a woodwind, member of the oboe family) in pottery, whose decor reflects Philippe's affinity for the decors of Alfred Beau!

Les instruments de musique en faïence font partie de la grande tradition de la faïence française. Artiste faïencier Philippe Lalys, ancien directeur artistique de HB-Henriot a créé une bombarde merveilleuse en faïence, dont le décor montre son affinité pour les oeuvres d'Alfred Beau !

This splendid instrument measures 31cm high (about 12-1/2") and is 8cm (a little more than 3") in diameter across the opening. It features korrigans on the inside and three different talabarders around the outside. The length of the bombard is decorated in a décor riche pattern, and Breton motifs are found around the top and the bottom. The bombard is being produced in a limited edition of 12 (approximately one-month delay production time), and the price is 750 euros.

Cet instrument fait 31cm hauteur et 8cm diamètre à l'ouverture en bas. Des korrigans se trouvent à l'intérieur et trois différents talabarders jouent autour du bas. La longueur de la bombarde est décorée avec des rinceaux, et les motifs bretons se trouvent autour. La bombarde sera réalisée en édition limitée de 12 (avec un délai autour d'un mois), et le prix est 750 euros.

NOTE: The bombard will be on display at the annual meeting of the Quimper Club in Quimper next month!
A NOTER : La bombarde sera exposée à l'Assemblée Générale du Quimper Club à Quimper le mois prochain !

Click here and here to see more about this wonderful artist currently producing superb faience items in Brittany.
Many thanks to Brittany Byways for supplying the this information.

Quimper factory news.

2011-08-06T10:52:00.001+02:00

AU REVOIR HB-HENRIOT, BONJOUR HENRIOT-QUIMPER

HB-Henriot has been sold to Jean-Pierre LeGoff, who has major plans for its restructuring and development.
In the last few weeks, the Quimper newspapers have been full of news about the future of Quimper pottery and its manufacture. The business court, which handled the receivership and sale of the business, announced the reduction of personnel from 50 to 26 people.
M. LeGoff announced immediately that his strategy included promoting the high quality of the product, continuing the tradition of hand-painted, and working with designers and artists.

At the end of July, M. LeGoff, citing a wish to modernize the image of the pottery and to associate it with the name of the city, announced the new name and mark of the Quimper pottery manufacture: Henriot-Quimper.

And this week, it was "an extraordinary day", in the words of Jean-Yves Verlingue, former CEO of the HB and then HB-Henriot manufacture, and later partner in the Faïencerie d'Art Breton (founded in 1994). The partner stockholders of the FAB gave their full support to M. LeGoff as he announced the purchase of the FAB, thereby consolidating the manufacture and the future of Quimper pottery under one management structure.

A very exciting moment in the history of Quimper pottery - we look forward to seeing what's new from Henriot-Quimper!!

Comme nous vous avons dit il y a un mois, HB-Henriot a été vendu à Jean-Pierre Le Goff, qui a un programme important pour sa restructuration et son développement. Depuis, les journaux quimperois ont beaucoup parlé de l'avenir de la faïence de Quimper et sa manufacture. Le Tribunal de Commerce, qui a géré le redressement judiciaire et la vente de l'entreprise, a annoncé la réduction du personnel de 50 à 26. M. LeGoff a indiqué tout de suite que sa stratégie comprend la promotion de la qualité du produit, l'importance de continuer la tradition "peint main", et un travail avec des designers.

A la fin de juillet, M. LeGoff, indiquant un souhait de moderniser l'image de la faïence et de l'associer avec le nom de la ville, a annoncé le nouveau nom et la marque de la manufacture de faïence de Quimper : Henriot-Quimper.

Et cette semaine, c'était "une journée extraordinaire", selon Jean-Yves Verlingue, ancien PDG d'HB et ensuite HB-Henriot, et après associé dans la Faïencerie d'Art Breton (fondée en 1994). Tous les associés de la FAB ont donné leur soutien complet à M. LeGoff quand il a annoncé le rachat de la FAB, dont le résultat est une consolidation de la manufacture et de l'avenir de la faïence de Quimper sous une direction.
Un moment très important dans l'histoire de la faïence de Quimper - nous attendons avec intérêt les nouveautés de Henriot-Quimper !!

Many thanks to Judy D @ Brittany Byways for this report.

Upcoming Morlaix Auction

2011-06-27T11:33:00.000+02:00

Last week we received our advance copy of the catalogue from Dupont Commissaires Priseurs, Morlaix for their summer auction of all things Quimper.
The date: Monday 4th July.
The time: 2.00 p.m.

For more information click here to go to their website.

Quimper Shadow Shots

2011-04-09T16:49:00.001+02:00

A trio of Normandy decor plates.

As I walked through the kitchen early one morning this week I noticed how the sun was creating this dogtooth check pattern like shadow, through the chain link fly screen, and across the three Normandy decor plates hanging on the wall next to the kitchen door.

A close up of the petite Normande.

I bought the man and woman plates as a pair from my friend Sarah during the members only sale held during the Philadelphia QCI meeting in 2008.
Check out Sarah's blog Hyacinths for the Soul (there's a link on the sidebar) to see her post about a new QCI member, Emily, which features Emilys collection and her French Hutch filled with soleil decor Quimper.

The top plate has the name of the Normandy port of "Le Havre" on the front, where it was probably sold as a holiday souvenir, and was purchased from Judy D at Brittany Byways, you'll find a link to her blog on the sidebar too.

Joining Hey Harriet for Shadow Shot Sunday #151 with this post.

Click here to see amazing shadow captures from around the globe.

Chelsea, Chocolate and Quimper.......by Gay S

2011-04-03T15:36:00.000+02:00

For Chari's Sunday Favourites this week a post from last year which covers a few of our favourite things!

Click on the link to see some more posts at Happy To Design.

At first sight it seems unlikely for Chelsea, Chocolate and Quimper to be connected, but indeed they are – the common factor being a certain Hans Sloane.

Those of you that have visited London will probably have heard of or even been to Sloane Street, Sloane Square or Hans Crescent, all of which are named after him.

Despite having lived in London for a while I hadn’t heard of Hans Sloane until I read a book about Quimper Pottery which stated that it is believed that Alfred Beau was inspired to create his ‘botanique’ series after he had seen the decoration on a range of Chelsea porcelain known as ‘Sloanes botanicals’.

Although born in Ireland (in 1660) Hans Sloane’s father was a Scot, as a child the young Hans was interested in natural history and other ‘curiosities’ which he collected. These interests first lead him to London to further his studies and then after four years he travelled to France spending time in Montpellier and Paris. While in France he met with leading French botanists and physicians and qualified as a Doctor – all the time he was increasing his collection of plant examples and other items.

Upon Sloanes return to London he was soon elected to the Royal Society and in 1687 he became a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians.
He soon became popular with the aristocracy and was asked to accompany the 2nd Earl of Arlbemarle to Jamaica, where the Earl had been appointed Governor.

Sloanes stay in Jamaica lasted just fifteen months, after which time despite Sloanes best attentions, the Duke died. However during Sloane's stay he collected many samples and wrote detailed observations concerning the flora and fauna, the life of the natives and such phenonima as earthquakes; Jamaica was new territory in this regard.
Of course there are some of us that may think that Sloanes most worthwhile observation was the affect of cocoa beans on the Jamaican natives. Sloane watched them crush the beans and make a drink from the resulting paste, and then noticed that their mood improved after drinking it. Sloane found the drink ‘nauseous’ but much more palatable when mixed with milk. He brought this recipe back to England where the mixture was first sold as a medicine, but Cadbury’s bought the recipe and manufactured chocolate using Sloanes recipe (Cadburys have recently been taken over by Kraft).

It seems that the term ‘Sloanes botanicals’ was rather a misnomer – the term was first used in a Dublin newspaper in 1758 (after Sloanes death) when an advertisement announced the importation of fine tureens decorated 'after Hans Sloanes plants'.

Sloane had been a great supporter and benefactor of the Chelsea Physic garden. The artist Ehret actually recorded the plants with paintings and engravings and these were published by Philip Miller who worked at the Physic gardens. It was actually these illustrations that inspired the Chelsea porcelain decoration, which in turn so inspired Alfred Beau.
Sloane continued with his interest in botany and collecting while at the same time working in medicine. Eventually his collection filled so much of his home that he had to employ a full time curator! Sloane was keen that his collection should remain together and on his death the collection was offered to the government for the sum of £20,000, this money was raised by holding a lottery and the Sloane collection became the foundation of the British Museum and later the Natural History Museum too.

Next time you reach for a bite of chocolate (its medicine isn't it ?) or admire a Porquier Beau plate, spare a moment to think of Hans Sloane!

Gay.

Our New Blog & Website

2011-03-15T20:55:00.000+01:00

Please come check out the newly redesigned Quimper Club International Blog & Website, click here.

Chatou Flea Market

2011-03-02T18:35:00.000+01:00

The biannual flea market at Chatou just west of Paris will be open from March 11 - 20th.

The Antiques Diva & Co. has written a fun post called,

"The 10 Commandments of Flea Marketing at Chatou, "

check it out here.

To quench your thirst check out this picture.

A fun read about Paris Flea Markets here.

Pictures Needed!

2011-02-23T21:10:00.000+01:00

The Journal needs pictures of Anne de Bretagne and Mustard Pots. Please send to Gay via Picturesquimperclub@gmail.com.

Keraluc

2011-02-18T14:14:00.000+01:00

A retrospection of the works of Keraluc produced from 1946 - 1965 is being held at Armel Galerie in Paimpol, France, through the end of February. The works of approximately 6 Keraluc artists will be on display and are available for purchase. Victor Lucas, the founder of Keraluc, worked at Henriot and HB before founding this studio. The Modern works produced at Keraluc, in Quimper, were unique forms created without poncifs. The decor and original forms came from the ideas of each artist. For more information visit the website, here.

Housekeeping

2011-01-13T21:16:00.000+01:00

Source

As Maggie mentioned below we are in the middle of a transition. We are actively seeking out new contributors to the blog. If you are interested in blogging and are a member please contact the club at blog@quimperclub.org. Or if you have photos of your collection you would like to share, a question about a piece you found, tips on travelling in France - we would love your contribution.

To check out more of this lovely home, click here.

New Year's Resolution

2011-01-07T18:45:00.003+01:00

#1 - Rotate my collection. I have to admit I am not very good about this. Once I find a "comfortable" spot for something, it pretty much stays that way for a while.

#2 - Use It! The cute little pitcher that just sits there should be filled with syrup!

#3 - Purge. Those pieces that have't seen the light of day since I started collecting over 15 years ago. Who cares if I only sell that porringer for $15 on ebay when I paid $60...

#4 - Fix. The box filled with some broken pieces.

#5 - Share/Donate. Contact my local library and see if they would do a Quimper display. Speak at my city's garden club and share the history of Quimper while demonstrating how to arrange flowers in Quimper vessels.

What do you have planned? Please share. I will get back to you on my progress. I have to admit #5 will be the hardest but hopefully it will help gain new members.

I know President Susan Cox is preparing for a speaking engagement on Quimper to an antique group. She has also posted a letter on our club website, go check it out here.

Happy New Year!

Au revoir........from Maggie

2010-12-28T15:12:00.000+01:00

The end of the year is fast approaching and so is my time here as QCI blogmistress.
January 2011 will herald in a new Board of Directors for the Quimper Club and so we say goodbye to Cerelle who has been the 2nd VP responsible for web activites and hello to Katie who steps up next.
You will have "met" both of these women here on the blog when they did their bit for promoting the Club and shared their love of all things faience related.
Many other Club members have volunteered their time, sharing their collections and collecting experiences with us, 253 blog posts to date.
I, for one, have learned a lot from them since I began the blog back in February 2009.
I suppose like many of you, I always take time as the year draws to a close to review the past 12 months and so I would like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to all the guest bloggers.
There wouldn't have been a blog without you, ladies.
To celebrate our success and say a last farewell I would like to share with all our blog visitors and followers a personal favourite blog from each of them.
Click on their names to reread, or discover anew, the original post.
In no particular order:

Gay

Sandra
This is likely to be the last post on this blog, the future is a little uncertain as the new Board may go in another direction and develop things in a different way, we shall have to wait and see.
However, rest assured, this blog will stay forever in blogland to serve as a resource for all Quimper fans and lovers of French faience.
In the meantime you can always visit me at my own blog Normandy Life

and I leave you with one of my own favourite posts from earlier this year.

au revoir

Maggie

Not quite the Last Post by QCI President Gaynor.

2010-12-22T23:33:00.015+01:00

Earlier in the year I submitted a post called ‘Last Look’ this was mainly pictures of my collection prior to having some work done on our house which included a small extension…….
It had taken a total of 3 years to get planning permission to do this work with several plans being rejected and many changes along the way…..

The work commenced at the end of March, and at various times we were without a sink or hot water…not much fun….especially when everything is covered with layers of dust.
For several weeks I was washing up in a bowl set upon a table under a gazebo in the garden, it seemed endless…however we love the new space we have created, so it was worth it

The downside is that even after all this work I have less space for my collection, so I have had to be ruthless, lots of items are in the loft in boxes: we want to keep this space light and airy so it’s a case of ‘less is more’.

On display on the dresser are a set of re issued plates by Creston (which I have owned for about eight years but never displayed) and above them the Pornic plates decorated with birds that my parents gave me.
On the next shelf sit my favourite figural pieces and on the top the old lady is joined by a mere youngster….with a few children between them.

On the other side of the room more traditional Quimper décor, takes pride of place.
Bretons mix with Normans after years of being segregated!
On the lowest shelf are works by Quimper artist Brisson, and on the top of the shelves are Desvres pieces.

I have added a couple of pieces, most recently a couple of ‘trial’ plates and a tiny Fouillen box

At last I have somewhere to display my Valerie le Roux pieces, including a poster which was much admired by the picture framer. Valerie has a studio in Concarneau and shares a building with the family creperie, well worth a visit if you are the area.
(Next year the Quimper Club meeting is in Quimper and a fabulous program is ‘in the works’. Why not join us there? )

In the kitchen a new niche holds a few Ivoire Corbeille pieces, and beneath them a couple of cockerels and a hen.

As the year draws to a close, so too my term as President of the Quimper Club comes to an end – I’d like to take the opportunity to thank all those that have volunteered their time and expertise to Club and particularly to Maggie who not only had the imagination to start the Quimper Club blog but has run it for the past two years.
We have enjoyed a stellar variety of posts ever since the blog started and that is entirely due to her tireless work. She has dedicated countless hours to making sure that the blog runs smoothly and has interesting posts that keep us all checking in to read and enjoy the world of Quimper pottery. She has a true volunteers heart!

I know I speak for many Quimper blog readers when I say a wholehearted thank you to her.

Merci!

Lastly, I'd like to take the opportunity to wish all of you a Merry Christmas and the very Happiest of New Years!

A bientot

Mini QCI rendevous in Brest, Brittany.

2010-12-18T13:49:00.001+01:00

This past week saw the Thierry-Lannon December Quimper auction take place at l'Espace Port de Plaisance de l'Hotel des Ventes.

We met up with Dale, Anne-Marie & Judy beforehand for lunch, which was a lively affair as we caught up with each others news and reviewed this years QCI meeting in Savannah with Dale who hadn't been able to attend.
Dale is the 1st VP elect, and his main responsibility, from January 1st, will be the planning of future annual meetings.

We got the inside track on his ideas for meetings in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015!
I could share this information with you here but then I'd have to kill you.
I'm sure it won't be long before you're hearing it from Dale and the rest of the new Board in 2011.
There were some lovely items up for sale during the auction and prices were very reasonable.

One treasure that appealed was this large melonnière with swan neck handle, finely hand painted with the figurine of a lady dressed in the traditional costume of Normandie, carrying an umbrella (of course) and assorted floral decors.

This Henriot Quimper piece was originally produced in the 1940's, as a holiday souvenir to be sold in the seaside town of Le Tréport, and now, fittingly, it's back home in Normandy.
As we were preparing to leave the auction house I was approached by a young French man, a QCI blog follower who had also attended the auction.
Imagine! He had some very kind and complimentary things to say about the blog, too.
He mentioned that he finds our posts very informative overall, always enjoys seeing our collections and learning about the variety and history of faience from other collectors.
I didn't catch his name and he isn't a member of the QCI, yet (!) but I believe he plans on joining in 2011 in order to meet up with us all again next year at the annual meeting in Quimper.
Just think, if we all recruited a new member from time to time in this way the membership would soar!

Sunday Favourites Rerun with Chari.

2010-12-11T16:40:00.002+01:00

For Chari's Sunday Rerun @ Happy to Design this week I'm sharing once again a wonderful post about Porquier Beau plates byJudy D.
I will be lucky enough, next week, to attend this years auction and after browsing the catalogue I know that there is a little something that I would like to add to my ever growing collection of Normandy related Quimper souvenirs.
Wish me luck. I'll be blogging about our trip to Brest on our return.

December 2009 - It would appear that the market for Porquier Beau botanical pieces, particularly plates, is having something of a comeback. At yesterday's auction, there was a splendid series of early PB botanical plates – not only did they have the blue intersecting P and B, but they also had PB impressed in the clay – and there was much interest and a lot of bidding. There were two major bidders on the phone for the whole series (and one in particular now has some very nice additions to his/her collection!), and at times there were as many as four phones going. The glaze on these plates was exceptionally good, as was the quality of the painting. They all came from the same collection, but when and how that collection was constituted was never mentioned. (Sometimes you can figure out where some pieces come from, and other times it remains a mystery. It is very bad form to ask!)

The estimates ranged from 1000 to 2500 euros, and almost every piece went over the estimate. Here are some of the winning bids ... gavel price (not including the buyer's fee).

My personal favorite – I like the snail (but only on this plate; I do not want to see him in my garden) – 1150 euros.

This plate has a splendid pineapple as well as two insects – 2300 euros.

A bird with a red crest, a rather exotic decor – 3200 euros.

A very nice pair of beetles, called scarabs – 2250 euros.

And this thrush was the high point of the sale of PB plates – 3700 euros.

This butterfly is a lovely blue one – 2700 euros.

And the seahorse was the lone denizen of the watery depths represented in this sale; he is rarely seen on the market – 3100 euros.

My thanks to Thierry-Lannon & Associates for letting me take and use photos of this sale!

We'll be making a quantum leap of about 50 or so years into other cultures for the next auction ... stay tuned!

Vehicle-Free and Loving It…by Adela Meadows

2010-11-30T19:50:00.001+01:00

Ahhh…the life of an antiques dealer…after spending many years traveling across the U.S. in a fifty-one foot long rig…a motor home for us with an attached cargo trailer for the antiques…it feels sooooooo good to be vehicle-free! At least that’s our status when we are in Paris.

We walk everywhere for most things…
…but the Parisian subway…called le métropolitain…or métro for short…is never more than a couple of blocks away and, with its fourteen different lines crisscrossing beneath the city, it’s a very convenient option. The stations are a world within themselves…art exhibits, cooking demonstrations by Michelin-starred chefs, scores of daily concerts by talented musicians…the sanctioned musicians in the Paris métro must first successfully go through a series of auditions, after which they are assigned to the various stations based upon their level of proficiency…and of course, traveling by the métro gives one the opportunity to catch up on all the latest fashion trends…
…Nope, I’ve heard that supposedly the big shoulders of the ‘80s are back, but I really don’t see myself wearing anything like this little number any time soon.

Should we want to travel a little farther afield, longer distances are handled via the train…only one hour and twenty-three minutes and I’m eating a gauffre in Brussels…

…hmmm…decisions, decisions…a plain gauffre is good, but one with strawberries and cream is so much better…

…a trip to Rennes, the capital of Brittany, currently takes two hours and eight minutes…but higher-speed rails are being installed and it will soon take even less time! For a longer journey, Jean-Pierre hops into his travel bag and it’s all aboard for the overnight sleeper to Venice, Italy…and to think it used to take us three days of practically non-stop driving just to get to Texas!

The opening of the railway line connecting Quimper with the rest of the world was a pivotal moment in the region’s history…
…and as can be expected, train travel was immortalized in Quimper faïence.

The railway company effectively advertised the virtues of Brittany and the outside world was suddenly not so far away. To the newly-industrialized population, the previously isolated Bretons were deemed to be quaint and soon hoards of artists and voyagers came to paint and gawk respectively.

By the time the automobile was invented, Quimper was considered to be relatively cosmopolitan …kings and queens and heads of state had visited and paid their respect.

Like most inventions suddenly introduced to rural societies, the Bretons were frightened of the automobile at first…

…but it wasn’t long before the townsfolk of Quimper began to embrace the horse-less carriage. And the newfangled contraption did not escape the attention of the potters in Quimper…here are some examples…

…an HR version…

…a sporty 1930s Henriot convertible…a pièce unique by Emile Compard (1900-1977).

Also from the ‘30s, a faïence bank in the form of a racing car by the HB factory

…this sports car raced out of the Henriot factory in June of 1927

The potteries in Malicorne were right in there as well…this racing car is by La Faïencerie Paul Lecomte…

…one of a series that were used to promote the famous “24 hours” automobile race at nearby Le Mans.

By the 1950s, the success of the automobile as a common mode of transportation created worldwide consternation regarding the adaptability of traditional headgear…across the United States, men and women alike began to stop wearing hats…

…and, of course, the same was true of Brittany!

Flash forward and vehicles continue to get smaller and smaller, especially here in France…a fact that formed part of our decision to hoof it everywhere…not wearing a hat was one thing, but what could poor Mark do about his long legs…not to mention no room for Jean-Pierre!

November is Photo Month...by Adela Meadows

2010-11-28T20:13:00.002+01:00

In Novembers of even-numbered years, Paris celebrates photography with Le Mois de la Photo. It’s a month filled with special expositions, photographic events, and lots of gallery showings…all centered on photography. This time around, Mark and I both had our photographs selected for exhibitions…he is the official photographer in the family…but after all these years, I guess a wee bit of osmosis has served to somewhat improve my efforts.

Brittany is very photogenic and was the subject of the special exhibit at a previous Salon de la Photo. But the exhibit was not about Brittany today…instead the images were wonderful early color photographs of traditionally-dressed Bretons as they went about their daily activities. The photos were intended to provide a sneak peek of an exposition that was held at the Albert Kahn Museum until July of this year.

From 1909 to 1931, Albert Kahn…a wealthy French banker and pacifist…financed an ambitious project that he called “Archives of the Planet”. His goal was to document humanity by securing color photographs of disappearing cultures spread across the four corners of the globe. Kahn’s teams of photographers traveled to over fifty different countries and eventually more than seventy-two thousand images of far-flung places were amassed.

Here is one of the images of Brittany…

…it dates from the 1920s.

Kahn’s were not the first photographs of the Brittany region. For that I have to dig into our archives and find some images that we took of an exhibit that was held in 2000 at the Musée Départemental Breton in Quimper.

Here’s a photograph of market day in Lannion in the 1850s…

…and Quimper’s rue Kéréon as it looked one hundred and sixty years ago…

Here’s a vintage view of the Renaissance fountain in the central square of the town of Guingamp…
…and here’s a recent photograph of that very same fountain…

Chateaubriand’s castle in Combourg then…

…and now…

An upstream view of Quimper’s Cathedrale Saint-Corentin then…

…and now…

Here’s what Place Saint-Corentin looked like in the 1850s…

The building in the center…Delamon Hôtel du Lion d’Or…was a prestigious hotel that also served as an agent for the coach service connecting Quimper with Brest…this photograph pre-dates the 1863 arrival of the railway to Quimper.

That same building today…

…provides inspiration for anyone who may mistakenly think that they don’t have room for any more plates!

More Word Games…by Adela Meadows

2010-11-25T10:35:00.002+01:00

The word umbrella comes from the Latin umbra meaning “shaded”. The French term is much more succinct…parapluie…meaning ”for the rain”. The Breton word for umbrella is equally pragmatic…disglavier…originating from their term for rain, which is glav or glaveier depending upon the particular dialect. In Brittany that’s what an umbrella is for…to provide protection from the rain, not to protect from the sun…for that you would need a disheolier.

Whatever the term, to have an umbrella in nineteenth century rural Brittany was an important status symbol…the petite bretonnes in particular were justifiably proud of their chic and practical store-bought accessory.

The Quimper potters looked to the daily comings and goings of the community for inspiration and, thus, it was only natural that umbrellas found their way into their designs…

both as a form…

…in this case, an HB wall pocket in the shape of an umbrella…

and in the decorative motifs…

…this HB plate features a petite bretonne with her trusty umbrella…

…and this HB vase has a similar scene…just different costumes…the woman on the plate wears the traditional costume of someone from the Fouesnantaise commune and the petite bretonne on the vase is from Quimper.

During the 1920s, the HB factory produced a line of items that celebrated some of the other regions of France.

It actually rains more in Nice in the south of France than it does in Quimper and, perhaps to counteract Brittany’s reputation for being rain-soaked, some of the pieces in the Provinces Françaises series depict umbrella-toting paysans from other regions …

Here’s a gentleman from Auvergne…

…and representing Normandy, a lovely petite normande…

…both clutching their umbrellas as they head off to market..

Their umbrellas all seem to be neatly furled, but mine is soon going to be opened and put to good use…as a soft November rain has just begun to fall.

Looking at the calendar, I would be remiss if I didn’t make note of today being the Thanksgiving holiday in the U.S., so I’ll close with an umbrella-related Celtic blessing…

May you always have walls for the wind…
A roof for the rain…
Time for a drink by the fire…
Laughter to cheer you…
Those you love near you…
And all that your heart may desire.

Letters…we get letters…we get stacks and stacks of letters...by Adela Meadows

2010-11-22T18:36:00.002+01:00

Well, not really stacks…but they didn’t have e-mail back when Perry Como was writing the lyrics to the song he sang when opening mail on his 50s-era television show…and since a great many of you have no idea of who or what I’m talking about…let’s just say that we get a lot of e-mail requests from people who want to know more about a piece of French faïence in their collection.

Here’s one we received this month…

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Meadows,
I have enclosed pictures of a decorative platter I inherited from my grandmother. I have spent a number of years trying to find out what the scene depicts. I was once told it was a party with whores, but I thought it looked like a wedding party. Either way, I am curious about its content. Can you enlighten me?
Sincerely,
- - -

Over their three hundred plus years of modern existence, the potteries in Quimper did produce an erotically-decorated example here and there, but they are quite few and far between. The letter writer’s description struck a bell…I was fairly sure that I knew the piece and, after opening the first photograph, my suspicions were confirmed…

The photographs showed an HR Quimper platter…
My reply:

Dear - - -
I commend you for your perseverance…and after your years of trying to find the answer, I’m delighted to be able to finally clarify the situation for you. The correct answer is an emphatic “No!”…the scene on your grandmother’s platter has nothing to do with prostitution!

It is, indeed, a celebration…whether of a marriage or another festive occasion, such as the secular days of a religious pardon, one couldn’t say for sure. That’s Quimper’s Cathedrale Saint-Corentin in the background and the participants are for the most part dressed in the “Sunday Best” costume worn in the Kerfeunteun neighborhood of Quimper…although some of the guests are dressed à la Fouesnantaise…signifying an inhabitant of the area of Pont-Aven, Concarneau, Fouesnant, etc.

Being, by nature, rather curious, I began to wonder how someone could come up with such an erroneous conclusion. The people advising you were probably not totally familiar with the traditional customs and heritage of the Brittany region and perhaps just looked in a dictionary of the Breton language. The problem is that historically there were many different dialects throughout the region…some so different that it was difficult for folk from one village to communicate with those from another. (Picture the inhabitants of the Bronx speaking a totally different language than the residents of Queens).

For example, the word for wine in some parts of Brittany was aguin, while in others, it was guin…cider was jistr in some area and gist in others…whereas today, it’s sistr. The language has evolved over the years and the current Breton is comprised of a blending of the various dialects. The Breton word in use today for prostitute is gast, but the plural is gisti and that may have been the source of the misunderstanding.

The tent in your platter served as an ostaleri…the Breton word for bar. Gist means cider, mad means good, and gwin-ardant is eau-de-vie or brandy…so the sign on the tent reads “Good Cider and Brandy”!

I’m glad I was able to answer your question and in so doing un-besmirch the reputation of those depicted in the scene…and I hope this adds to the enjoyment of your Grandmother’s lovely platter!
Best Regards,
Adela
Adela and Mark Meadows
The Meadows Collection
www.oldquimper.com

And while we are on the subject…

Some examples…

Gwin…

… on a wine pitcher designed by René-Yves Creston for the Henriot factory…

Jistr Mad…

…a petite bretonne serves some “good cider” on this Georges Brisson plate made at the HB factory…

…and here’s one where I was tripped up by the dictionary…

…an Henriot pitcher with a French motto that I had difficulty translating…A Bon Vin Point d’Enseigne. At first I thought it meant something on the order of “a good wine is the sign of a good establishment”…until the day I somehow happened to be reading fifteenth century French proverbs and came across that very phrase. I hadn’t been too far off…in today’s French, the word enseigne means sign, but back then someone speaking “old French” used that word to signify advertising or publicity…so it really means “Good wine has no sign…a centuries-old proverb to convey the idea that an excellent product doesn’t need publicity; quality speaks for itself, etc.

The Autumn Leaves Outside My Window…by Adela Meadows

2010-11-18T20:04:00.001+01:00

The New England Tourist Board has done an outstanding job and, consequently, the east coast of the United States gets most of the press when it comes to “Fall Colors”…but the riot of colors that come with autumn can actually be found in other parts of the world as well…including mon quartier.

The banks of the Seine continue to be an ideal place for contemplation…

…or making that phone call while out on a stroll with the dog.

But, where just a few weeks prior, the quays were filled with sunbathers catching rays…

…now the surroundings are ablaze with color…

…look closely, there is a window in amongst those bright red leaves…

…that crawl upon the magnificent seventeenth century building that houses the Tribunal Administratif de Paris…

…the courthouse where complaints against government bureaucracy are heard. Of course, surrounded by such beauty, it’s difficult to complain…perhaps that was their plan in the first place!

We’re part of an international group of hikers who at least once a month pack a lunch and board a train heading out of town…only to hop off and make our way back to Paris…some twenty to thirty kilometers of interesting conversation amidst the beautiful and historical countryside.
Our October outing provided us with a hint of the colors to come…
…they weren’t quite at their peak yet…but a lovely sight all the same.

Now, with November, the leaves are really falling, but here that doesn’t mean piles of leaves to jump in and play…or worse yet, burn. The French have been experts at recycling for centuries…
…and millions and millions of autumn leaves are carefully gathered to use as wrapping for certain varieties of cheese.

More than just a traditional means of packaging…for some cheeses, autumn leaves are instrumental to the development of the distinct flavor of the product. The leaf-wrapped round of cheese shown to the left is from the region known as the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence…made primarily of goat’s milk, the tannins found in chestnut leaves are a secret to its success. A success of long-standing, as it was reportedly a favorite cheese of Antonius Pius, a Roman emperor in the second century A.D. He found it so tasty, that legend purports that his death was the result of an eating binge…specifically the over-consumption of this particular type of cheese. Of course, the fact that this type of cheese is soaked for weeks in brandy may have been a contributing factor!

Prior to being used to wrap cheese, these chestnut leaves found time to adorn an intricately-formed Porquier-Beau piece…part of the botanique series from the last quarter of the nineteenth century. The series was based on the designs of Alfred Beau.

For the most part, Brittany is not a hot-bed of autumn colors…the heather turns to a ghastly brown and many of the species of ajonc are evergreen. So the leaves on Quimper pottery seldom reflect the colors of the fall season.

Another piece from the same series…a plate full of begonia leaves. The begonia is not a native shrub of Brittany, but its French roots may have led to its inclusion.

The plant was given its name by a seventeenth century French botanist, Charles Prumier, who chose to honor Michel Bégon, an early Governor of Haiti who was an ardent plant collector.

This botanique plate does come rather close to fall colors…
…Beau identified the design only as feuilles pointues…meaning pointed leaves.

The town of Malicorne in the Sarthe is, however, no stranger to the effects that occur when Mère Nature decides it’s time to rest for the winter and curtails the photosynthesis process…as attested to by these autumn leaves…

…which are actually Malicorne faïence knife rests!

Boogie down...Breton style by Adela Meadows

2010-11-15T22:28:00.029+01:00

Back in June of '09, during my previous stint as a guest blogger, I wrote about the music of Brittany and noted that where's there's music...there's dancing.

Around here, if it's Thursday...it's time for our Breton dance class. For many years, we've enjoyed dancing at the festivals held during the day...fest deiz...and in the evening...fest noz...but we finally decided it was time to get serious and hone our terpsichorean skills. We're into our second year of the course. There are as many traditional Breton dances as there are traditional Breton costumes and, like the costumes, each town has its own specific version of each dance. The rond de Landéda is quite different from the rond de Saint Vincent and the way they dance the pachpi in Vannes is totally different from the way they dance it in Quimper. Our patient-as-a-saint instructor is from the Ile de Groix in the Morbihan region, but we have been learning variations from as far away as the commune of Guérande.

Some of the dances are for specific situations. The hanter dro, for example, is danced with everyone in a tight line...unan, daou, tri, pevar...one, two, three, four in Breton...our feet moving in concert. Left, right, left...right. Left, right, left...right. Arms tightly linked, we take identical, small, and deliberate steps. The steps of the hanter dro are purposeful, for it is a dance with a purpose...it serves to resurface the terre battue...the dirt floor surface of the typical Breton country home. World-wide, terre battue...literally "beaten earth"...is purported to be the most commonly-found floor surface. Depending upon the amount of clay in the soil, there are different methods of preparing and maintaining the surface. If there is only a small amount of clay, the dirt is simply moistened and straw, hay or, in some cases, manure, is spread on top. Average levels of clay call for a good soaking...the resulting mud is then spread out, smoothed and allowed to slowly air dry. If the clay content of the soil is substantial...as it is in Brittany...then the surface is compacted by foulement or walking on the surface. With floor re-surfacing being a seasonal requirement, the Bretons chose to make an event out of it and the regular foulement of a neighbor's floor is a celebration...with music, food, and hour after hour of dancing the hanter dro.

There are specific dances for announcing a wedding engagement, for celebrating the sale of a pig, for saying farewell to a seaman bound for a six-month-long journey in search of cod, etc., etc. Many of the dances involve linking pinkie fingers to make a chain and the arm movements of each dance are quite specific...and equally as intricate as the foot movements. After a while, you build up a tolerance, but for the first few outings at a fest noz, it's not unusual for one's pinkie to feel a bit sore!

Here are some images of Breton dances...both real-life and interpreted in Quimper faïence...

A happy dancing couple is the central motif on this HB Quimper cake plate

The joyful dance scene shown above is from a Porquier-Beau aiguière

Robert Micheau-Vernez created several pieces inspired by the dances of Brittany...

...this one features a couple from Plougastel performing the ribbon dance

...here, his dancers are quite young...

...not as young as this dancing enthusiast at a fest deiz in Gourin...

...but probably about the age of the dancers from Rosporden featured in this turn-of-the-twentieth century photo postcard

Théophile Deyrolle created this scene; originally an oil painting, it was later used as a Quimper motif by both the Henriot factory as in the charger shown above...

...and the HB factory as seen on this large platter.

Colorfully-dressed dancers from the town of Châteaulin on a Porquier-Beau Scenes Bretonnes plate

Detail view of a grand vase in the window of the Musée de la Faïence in Quimper

A decorative plate personally painted by Camile Moreau during the short period of 1891 to 1895 when he worked for Jules Henriot.

After Moreau left, the same scene continued to be used at the Henriot factory...as demonstrated by this elaborate dolphin footed vase

Another interpretation of the scene originally created by Moreau...

...this time on a piece that was commissioned by the forces that occupied Brittany during World War II

It looks sort of like a Breton version of the tango on this Henriot Louis XV form pitcher

And the following images prove that Breton dancing is not limited Brittany...here we are in Paris...

practice...

practice...
practice!

Meet the Artists!

2010-11-15T16:06:00.000+01:00

Last Friday, the Quimper Club in conjunction with the Galerie Philippe Théallet in Quimper hosted a get-together with several ceramicists and a number of Quimper pottery collectors. Members of the Friends of the Musée de la Faïence de Quimper joined us, and the gathering was most convivial.

Gallery owner Philippe Théallet and author Antoine Maigné discuss Théallet's book about artist Patrice Cudennec.

Many, if not most, of contemporary Quimper ceramicists produce works in other media. Here artist Patrice Cudennec stands in front of one of his paintings, a gardener's patchwork.

Artist Paul Moal's terra cotta sailors are quite Cubist, particularly the ones glazed in white.

Jean-Claude and Marjatta Taburet both have pieces in the gallery - behind them in this niche is a piece they collaborated on: Jean-Claude's Bretonne is holding Marjatta's plate. The Taburets say that they have a century of production between the two of them, and by all accounts, they are still going strong!

It was a treat to see Pierre Henriot, under whose direction the Faïencerie d'Art Breton has flourished in Quimper and has produced works by both Cudennec and Moal.

The rogues' gallery for the press ... We were honored by the presence of artist Bel Delecourt, who looked at everything and said to me that she was very taken with the Cubist sailors. I introduced her to Paul Moal, and he in turn told her that he had just bought one of her pieces the previous day at the antiques show in Quimper ... a fortuitous encounter!!

Many thanks to Philippe Théallet for hosting us at the Gallery, to Roger and Marga Reinstein of Cybergalerie Reg'Arts for organizing our lunch, to Bernard Verlingue for sending our invitation to the Friends of the Musée de la Faïence de Quimper, and to Yann Clapier for sharing his photographs. Q Club members who attend the meeting in Quimper next September will have the opportunity to meet these and other artists, and in the meantime, more events will be forthcoming ... stay tuned!!

judy datesman

Quimper Faience in Savannah.

2010-11-04T21:53:00.002+01:00

QCI members gather outside the saleroom
ready to shop until they drop.

Here at last, for your delectation, photographs from the Members Faience Sale which took place during our Sojourn in Savannah.

Joan Datesman

Ann Marie O'Neill

I'll just sit back and listen to your gasps of amazement at all the beautiful things our member dealers had to offer.

Henry Powell

Fayne Landes

The choice was stunning, almost overwhelming.

Trisha Johnson

Sadly, Tricia has decided she can no longer devote the time, away from her career as a very succesful veterinarian, to maintain "Maison de la Croix" and was holding a "closing down" sale.

Noelle Beatty

Can you see the door push plate on Noelle's table above, very pretty but more colourful than the ones I recently acquired and so I left it for someone else to snap up.
Click here to see my blue & white door push plates

Philippe Lalys (L) Judy Datesman (R)

Finally, a pair of HR octagonal plates beautifully handpainted with a man and a woman dressed in costumes from my region of France, Normandy and a pretty floral border.

They had to come back to live with me in France.

Back view.

The linked PB mark and Normandie inscription were used by the Henriot faiencerie on regional souvenir wares and date the plates to circa 1920.
I hope that you have enjoyed the virtual visit to the saleroom today, remember as a QClub member you can find links on the QCI website to all our member dealers, including those who sadly didn't make it to Savannah this year.
I'll be linking this post to Laurie's A Few of My Favourite Things Saturday meme, be sure to call in and see all the other participants taking part this week.
Laurie is a fan of Quimper too, who knows she might just join the Club when she sees all the wonderful Q here today.

Views from the trolley bus.

2010-11-03T17:06:00.002+01:00

As Lucy previously mentioned, Monday morning of our Savannah Sojourn saw us boarding the Oglethorpe trolleys, once more, this time for a narrated sightseeing tour which we all enjoyed tremendously.

A loving father had these identical houses built
for his twin daughters as a Wedding Gift,
so the story goes.

The Sorrel Weed House

Savannah's Historic district is world famous for it's cobblestone streets, manicured gardens, and oak-shaded squares draped with silvery Spanish Moss.

From our trolley driver/guides we heard that Savannah is the largest National Historic Landmark District in the United States, with more than twenty city squares filled with museums, monuments, antebellum mansions, magnificent churches, and famous forts of the Revolutionary & Civil War eras.

Many of the Historic homes are embellished
with richly detailed wrought iron work railings and balconies.

The steps leading up to this beautiful mansion are further
enhanced by a stunning Fall display of pumpkins and mums.

We also toured the Victorian Historic District, Savannah's first suburb, located just south of the Savannah Historic District. Originally a parade ground, the extension of street railways in the late 19th century spurred the development of this neighborhood.

The wood frame houses dating from the 1870s and 1880s are a mixture of several Victorian styles of architecture.

Some of the best examples of these are the Carpenter Box style houses on West Gwinnett Street embellished with ornate brackets and cornices, the Queen Anne style mansion at the corner of Whitaker and Gwinnett, and the imposing Victorian Telfair Hospital on Park Avenue.

(Source:http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/geo-flor/2.htm)

Sojourn in Savannah.

2010-10-30T18:37:00.001+02:00

As the saying goes........"a picture is worth a thousand words".

I hope that these first pix, from the QCI's 12th Annual Meeting in Savannah last week, reflect what a great time was had by all those who were there.

On Saturday evening some QCI members dined at the Olde Pink House on Reynolds Square, there were many celebrations taking place there that evening, including a large wedding party in the second floor ballroom.

There was a wedding celebration at the the Olde Pink House on Saturday evening.

As we left the OPH several members were invited to join the sparkler salute to the Bride & Groom.

Ann, Maggie & Gay joined in the sparkler fun.

Tom greets Mary & Susie as they board the trolley Sunday morning.

On Sunday we boarded the Oglethorpe blue trolley and headed to River Street for our Riverboat Lunch & Cruise.

Former cotton warehouses on River Street are now home
to stores and lively bars and restaurants.

After lunch, as the paddle boat left the dock, many of us went up on deck to watch the scenery slip by.

Florence Martus the famous "Waving Girl" of Savannah.

Click here to read the bittersweet story of Florence Martus.

Tugboats moored at the River Street docks.

Hope that these pix have whetted your appetit, there'll be more coming along shortly.

Maggie

Savannah Meeting Update: Part Two

2010-10-29T13:54:00.000+02:00

Getting the meeting updates from Lucy have been bitter sweet. I would have loved to attend but I have small children at home. Some day when everyone is a bit more self sufficent I hope to be able to come.

So while many of you were enjoying historic Savannah and the wonderful Quimper club members I was getting halloween costumes ready, picking up candy, carving pumpkins, and baking pumpkin loaf. If you haven't read Sarah's post below, please do it will also put you in the Halloween spirit! -Katie

Update by Lucy:

"This afternoon a few of us (about 65 or so) took off on a trolley to go down to the river to partake in a cruise preceded by a luncheon, complete with local entertainment.
The weather said "no rain" but apparently, the clouds didn't read that report. After 45 minutes of rain during which the local shops sold out of umbrellas, we boarded our riverboat and set off up and down the river. Lovely scenery, and even more importantly, it was a excellent chance to mingle and visit with old friends.

The evening's Meet and Greet was yet another great opportunity to visit. Dick, Pat, and I played trio music from 6:30 until 8:00 with a couple of tiny breaks in the middle to say hello to newly arrived members. It was a very enjoyable day and we are all looking forward to tomorrow. After a good night's sleep, we'll all be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed again and ready for another adventure.

I'm still in awe of what the Old Pink House restaurant managed to do with crushed pecans and a chicken breast! I forgot to mention that the house was built in 1771 and was most recently refurbished in 1992. The crown molding was amazing and I loved the green walls in our dining room. During the evening, I kept seeing a lady at Dan & Karen Davis' table that I didn't know , but since they had guests with them I decided that perhaps she was another of their guests. Well, she wasn't at all. Maggie B caught my arm while I was strolling around sight-seeing in the mansion and let me know that the mystery lady was no other than Jenny L! My word! I had been emailing Jenny for years and years but had never gotten to meet her in person! Thank heaven for the Q Club meetings and the wonderful, wonderful members who put these together for us!!

In other news, some of our Dallas members were stuck back at the Dallas airport due to tornado warnings yesterday afternoon. I hope they can fly in today!

The club members trolleyed through the Historic District this morning, then broke for lunch and continued our Savannah education via a walking tour in the afternoon. We saw the insides of two historic homes and walked by several other famous homes and monuments, including the infamous Mercer House where Jim Williams shot Danny Hansford. "The book" and "the movie" are still the talk of the town.
Dinner in the evening was at Mrs. Wilkes Boarding House. There were platters of fried chicken and 22 (and I'm not kidding) side dishes. Banana pudding served as dessert.
Afterward, we waddled back to the hotel while others managed to check out the local pubs and evening spots. It was an amazing day in this lovely old city! I will ask your indulgence while I send out a few "reruns" of my favorite pieces.

Our morning tour guide clearly thought that Jim Williams got his "due" from the Lord when he dropped dead of a heart attack a year after his 4th trial ended. Interesting! We were also told that the church bells were confiscated on the orders of Gen. Sherman because he couldn't sleep and was tired of hearing them ring. Oh well, that was the morning guide. The afternoon guide said that the church ladies won that battle (about the bells) and that the bells were not confiscated nor were they hung upside down upon their return. It's hard to know who to believe. There seems to be a thin line between history and folk tales. Oh, and we passed several haunted houses on the tours. It was quite a day!
Tomorrow should be calm in comparison since it only involves the QClub business meeting, sale, and dinner.

Today was HOT! I think that we set records for this day in the history of the universe or something like that. The temps hit 88 or so and some of us melted. Luckily we spent a nice portion of the day on air conditioned buses touring two fabulous homes and one outstanding plantation. We (the club members) took dozens and dozens of photos and I would tell you all about this but I think that you'll enjoy reading about it more in the next edition of the Journal.

We bid a sad farewell until next year to the other Q Club members and headed out for adventures in Charleston this morning. Pat, Colin, Dick and I arrived in time for a late lunch and then took a water taxi over to the city's downtown historic district. We almost melted from the heat but stumbled upon a mule drawn carrriage tour in our eleventh hour. Traveling around the city under the shade of a fringed surrey gave us a brief education, a viewing of many wonderful historic homes and churches, as well as a chance to revive ourselves a bit.

We then headed for the "antique" row. The good news is that we found it; the bad news is that the shops were all closing. One shop owner was just locking up but asked if we were looking for anything specific. "French faience" I answered. He shook his head - no, he didn't have any of that but perhaps a shop down the way might have something. We thanked him and continued down the sidewalk while we admired his wares through the large glass windows......and there we spotted a lovely Gien jug in the white background glaze with typical decor that sports cherubs. No faience? Indeed!

A shop across the street still had the door open so we poked our heads in and asked if they were closed. Yes, they were but what were we looking for? French faience we answered. No, he didn't have any of that, but what specifically??? Quimper, I asked?? No, no Quimper. The sales assistant interjected that they had a Quimper plate. He didn't remember it, but she went to get it to show him. In the meantime, I also inquired about Malicorne, Desvres, Gien??? Malicorne! Yes, he had Malicorne and led me over to look at the world's largest vase. It was in the Rouen decor on a Delft style form. Huge piece! I asked if it was marked so he turned it over and it had the Emile Tessier mark. I explained to him what it was. He didn't really know that it was a 20th century piece or much at all about faience. I also spotted a huge tureen and platter (VP mark) and a couple of other things. The Quimper plate was HB-Henriot and only 3 years old.

We'll be hitting the antique malls and stores tomorrow to see what other faience we can find. I'm hoping to get the huge Malicorne vase out of my head ......but you know how hard that is! There is a slight chance that it might need to come home with me! We're all hoping that the heat will calm down a bit. Oh, and in the morning we'll be touring an aircraft carrier. Dick is really looking forward to that since it's been over 50 years since he was doing a tour of duty on one."

Thank you Lucy for your updates! Hope everyone enjoyed them. Have a very Happy Halloween!

~Katie

Savannah Meeting Update Part One

2010-10-26T13:52:00.009+02:00

One of the great things about the Annual meeting is that you find you have so much in common with fellow collectors. Its not every day you are in a room with people who are fanatic over this beautiful pottery! This love of pottery is what started Lucy and me to create the Club. Admittedly I have been to only a few meetings. Shortly after the creation of the club I got married and started having children. I don't have a lot of time left in my days for hobbies. But just because I can't always go to a meeting or afford pieces of pottery I lust after ...doesn't mean I don't get a lot back being a member of the club.

Meeting report from Lucy Williams:

"Pat, Colin, Dick, and I flew out of Vancouver at the crack of dawn this morning. We landed in Dallas for brief layover and a nice lunch and then while waiting forthe flight to Savannah were delighted to run into fellow Q Club member, Nancy Ninegar (Santa Rosa, CA)! After arriving at the hotel and checking in, we joined Judy Datesman, herbrother, Jeff, Gaynor Smith and Nancy for a fun visit in the hotel lounge area. I can't tell you how wonderful it is to be with the old Quimper Club gang again!"

"The members continue to arrive in this beautiful southern city. We had 48 members, spouses, and guests attending the Old Pink House restaurant this evening. The Q Club members took up the largest dining room and I must say, we looked rather grand as we ordered off of the wonderfully creative menu! Roger and Maggie sat at atable with Mary, Susan & John, Susie , and Ann Marie & Fred.
Gaynor was at a corner table with Bevra & Tom, Nancy, Cerelle....oh dear, well I guess I shouldn't name everyone at every table but let's just say that the food was divine but that the company was even better!
Tomorrow is the riverboat cruise during the day and the Meet & Greet in the evening.
I'll send you a report on how our trio did in our second year performance for the Q Club.
I am having a fabulous time with so many Quimper collectors here.
If you are not here then please consider coming to a meeting if you can. The Q Club is filled with very special people."

The Perfect Christmas Stocking Stuffer

2010-10-23T15:41:00.002+02:00

Do you realize there are only 62 days before Christmas!

If you are not attending the Quimper Annual Meeting this week

then you can still do some shopping from home.

I thought these would be perfect for my daughters dollhouse!

Maybe you want to give a friend a small Quimper token or you have

a granddaughter who is just starting to collect.

Or you have no idea what to get your wife because

she has every Quimper thing imaginable...

Here are the details from my friend Judy Datesman:
""Fèves" are trinkets hidden in the King's Cake that celebrates the Epiphany. In times gone by, it was a dried bean (a "fève"), and the person who found it was king for the day. By about 1870, the bean was replaced by small figures in porcelain, and more recently, in plastic, but still called "fèves". Today "fèves" are generally produced in theme series, in every imaginable style: Disney figures, regional motifs, ceramics, antiques, cartoon characters, foods, etc. About 1" to 1-1/2" in size, they have become very popular collectibles; generally a series is produced for one year only."
Cost is approx $30 US with shipping included.

I imagine like all things there is a possibility they won't

be on time for Christmas but they would also make a

perfect Valentine's Day, Birthday, or Mother's Day gift!

Please contact Judy at Brittany Byways to order.

Fleur de Lys

2010-10-20T09:10:00.003+02:00

I think part of being a Francophile is the love of the Fleur de Lys. The French picked a perfect symbol. You can find it all over French faience. It doesn't stop with faience in my house, I have a fleur de lys chandelier, book ends and even a sweatshirt! Here are a few of my pieces. Hope you enjoy!

A wonderful wall pocket/match holder. Marked CA.

A large CA pitcher found for only $20!

Love this bell and so do my children! Marked Henriot Quimper France.

Small piece found in Nice, France - No mark.
Plate marked Blois. Boulogne pitcher marked with the H arrow D symbol.
.

Again I love the mix of blue and white. This may be one of my favorite

pieces in my collection. Marked only HB.

HB Quimper pitcher. Blois salt. Unmarked egg cup.

History of the Fleur de Lys:

Translated as the “flower of the lily”, is a legendary symbol of France. Initially, it served as a decorative element and can be found as far back as Mesopotamia. Over time, it came to to represent royalty (not specific to France) signifying perfection, light and life.

Here is a fun story about a Fleur de Lys tattoo.

If you are a foodie and visit San Francisco then you must try the

Fleur De Lys Restaurant

I have and it's delicious.

Parrots In Arizona......by Cerélle

2010-10-19T02:40:00.001+02:00

Parrots in Arizona ?
Yes, we really do have parrots...

There are two native varieties, very scarce, to be found in Southern Arizona. The Coppery-tailed Trogon is a summer resident of far southern Arizona, and lucky the person who has seen him. Even more rare is the Thick-billed Parrot, who has been found in southeast Arizona. They have tried to reintroduce more of them, but with only limited success due to the large number of resident hawks.

And surprisingly, we here in our neighborhood have some fascinating little squeaky-voiced, colorful guys who have been around for at least twenty years now, and have naturalized quite happily. Some years back, a small private zoo with an aviary caught fire and the only way the firemen could save these birds, was to release them. Lucky for them, lucky for US!

So now, we have these wonderful peach-faced lovebirds who come to the feeder and live in the palm trees and have new fledglings each year. It is delightful to see the "peachies", sometimes in a flock of up to twenty, all in the little tree which holds the feeders. When the sun hits their feathers, it is just breathtaking! We even had a turquoise and white parakeet who joined this flock for a couple of years..and must have been quite well accepted as we can surely identify the offspring who show this whitish head, turquoise-green body coloration in certain members of the flock. Here is a Peachy on the birdbath.

Another visitor we had for at least four years was a wonderful big chartreuse parrot which I finally identified via a web site on parrots. Upon writing to the site with a description and then a photo, she was identified as a ring necked parakeet...a BIG parakeet - about 17 inches long, and as this one did not have the "ring", she was a female. In reading about her, I found that though originally from India and Pakistan, there is a large population of them who were escaped birds and have now naturalized in Bakersfield, California. I wonder if this one blew over here in a storm..as have some brown pelicans from time to time, or if she got away from someone here.

"Our" parrot was a joy to see and became a regular guest at the seed feeder. About two years ago, a new neighbor who was evidently ignorant of the fact that "Greenie" slept in the large hole in their date palm, cut it down and so we no longer have our wonderful guest! I hope she found another good place and is still flourishing. Sure miss seeing her, though.

So it is with pleasure that I add parrots to my collection, whenever I can find them. Among my favorite pieces are these Desvres parrots. They are large, fully 10 inches tall (25 cm) and with great colors and glass eyes.

I also have a charming little parrot which I have been hoping to identify...only 5.75 in (14.5 cm) high and finely painted and detailed. Anyone know this mark? Perhaps it is German?

This HB quimper covered jar sits on my kitchen window sill and is a source of great delight. It has survived in fine condition..lid too, and the colors and the repeating pattern of floral designs with the featured parrot is a favorite of mine.

Then there are parrots on plates and platters and cache pots and wall fonts..and all of the wonderful items with the Rouen designs which I love so well. I think that I can never get quite enough of these. I love the cornucopia, the carnations, and best of all the parrots. These could have been made in Desvres, in Quimper, in Sinceny, or perhaps if old enough, in Rouen itself.

Not too long ago I happened upon a great big soupiere WITH platter on eBay..and fell for it immediately! It was heavy, and perhaps that scared off the competition as I won it easily. I am crazy about the way it is painted, and just discovered it in the book, French Faïence, by Jeanne Giacomotti. It was identified as Sinceny..even perhaps Rouen, as evidently they were so alike.

The date is set at 1760..Oh MY! As you see, it not only has the carnations and rocailles but lots of little parrots, too!

Another piece which is special to me, is a parrot plate which has been identified by one of our club experts as being early Quimper in the Nevers style. I just love the colors in this, and the free-hand flourish in the painting.

I guess that whether a living-free parrot, or a parrot captured in clay and paint, they just bring a lift to my heart!

Sunday Shadows ~ Tea on the Porch Mosaic.....by Sarah A.

2010-10-17T00:39:00.008+02:00

Sunday Shadows and Morning Tea on the Porch

Mornings on the porch are lovely when Mr. Sun creeps into the day and casts it's light as if he is performing a dance. The graceful light and gentle shadows create the perfect ambiance for morning tea on the porch.

Let's move in a little closer and join the tea party.

Morning tea is served from a sweet Quimper service in a cheerful soleil pattern.

For afternoon tea ~ a little table perfectly set in the corner of the kitchen.

Tea and Sunday shadows are magical all through the day.

Linking to Hey Harriet's Shadow Shot Sunday where all shadow capturers gather each week and Mary @ the Little Red House for her Mosaic Monday meme.
Please click on the links to see who else is participating this week.

I Spy...Soleil

2010-10-14T08:59:00.000+02:00

October issue of Country Living Magazine has a feature with several pictures of Quimper.

A wonderful Soleil tea pot filled with beautiful flowers.

A charming Soleil plate filled with nuts.

The October issue of Country Living magazine gives a very updated look to Quimper. Often we see Quimper adorned in only french country style homes - which I favor as I would think must of us Quimper collectors do! The above pieces are owned by a hip, young family whose home has an Anthropologie feel.

The "Soleil"glaze is the perfect Quimper to take us into Fall. I believe it started being produced in the 1920's. It reminds me of my favorite mustard corduroy skirt. Here are a few pieces I sprinkled around the house to get some Fall color.

I found this large (11') scalloped bowl at the Long Beach Flea Market in California. Co-founder, Lucy Williams introduced me to this market which is a must if you visit Southern California. Much like the Rose Bowl Flea Market you may see a few celebrities. Speaking of, I was told that actress Michelle Pfeiffer collects Soleil. This piece is marked HB Quimper France.

This set of coffee mugs were a gift which I believe were purchased in Petaluma, California. Petaluma is a quaint town that is a perfect stop on your way to Sonoma wine country in Northern California. Just past Petaluma is Healdsburg which has a town square very similar to what you will see in Savannah.

Lastly, this small plate which is marked HB Quimper France F303 D 201. I am not sure how I acquired it but I think I just fell in love with it again. I thought I would take a tip from Country Living and enjoy some nuts with my Quimper .

Please share with us how you use Quimper to decorate for Fall...

Savannah Shopping - SCAD.

2010-10-13T05:13:00.000+02:00

The QCI Annual meeting is almost here! If you are staying at the Hotel DeSoto you will be excited to know that the Savannah College of Art and Design Shop is right around the corner
What is so special about this shop, according to FD Luxe magazine:
- Popular with design teams, Crate & Barrel and Henri Bendel regularly cruise the space for inspiration
-A 2010 fashion graduate was a competitor in the series "Project Runway
-The winner of 2010 Style Etoile Awards in New York City
-has also received attention from Vogue and rave reviews from designers such as Dianne von Furstenberg.

website

corner of Bull and Charlton streets
912-525-5180

More Camaïeu Blue Faïence................by Sarah A

2010-10-10T10:10:00.003+02:00

It's time once again for Blue Monday with Smiling Sally.

Several collections of French faïence in camaïeu blue have been shown here on QCI. You can find a list of these articles at the end of this post. Today I'd like to share photos of a collection of camaïeu blue faïence that I visited several years ago. These pieces belong to my friend, Charna, who graciously agreed to let me share them with you.
I don't know specifics about each of Charna's pieces, but I do know they are French, and they are indeed lovely. Charna has a wonderful wall of built-in cases, and these delights fill the shelves. Just imagine waking to these serene pieces each morning.

As I said, I don't know the specifics about each of these so I will just show the photos. Enjoy!

I hope you enjoyed seeing some more pieces in this charming art style. It's difficult to improve on the combination of blue and white. Charna's collection offers a look at some unusual forms and some exquisite painting.

To see more French faïence in camïeue blue click on the following links:

Some Favorites in Camïeue Blue

Having the Blues is a Good Thing

Blue and White Quimper

Visit Smiling Sally for a list of others participating in Blue Monday.

Porte Couteau aka Knife Rests...by Katie S.

2010-10-06T16:39:00.010+02:00

Here is my collection of knife rests. Like all collections I don't think I set out to collect this one thing in particular. It just happened, I picked up one here and there and before I new it I had a collection within my collection...

The nice thing about knife rests are that they are small and usually not too costly.
My least expensive one was probably around $20.

Etiquette of knife rests today:
According to Kim Vallee, "Knife rests are a stylish table accessory if you plan to reuse the knives for more than one course. Do not put the knife on the knife rest when you are setting the table. The guests will deposit the knife on the knife rest between the courses to avoid spoiling the tablecloth. The knife rests signal to your guests that they should keep their knife. Knife rests are used exclusively in casual dinner.

There is no need for knife rests at a formal dinner. The utensils intended for the course are always removed at the end of each course at a formal dinner."

Above is marked, Dives Sur Mer

This one is by far the most rustic but has a less typical shape.

Part of a set of six gifted to me by fellow club member Laverne Conway.
Brand new, marked FAM France.

Probably my second favorite because it mixes my love of blue/white
and fleur de lys.
Will post that collection shortly, so come back!

And no French knife rest collection would be complete without French
cutlery so here is my Christofle taking a rest.

History:

The use of knife rests dates back to the late 17th and early 18th centuries. They were popular during the Victorian era. This was the period of Queen Victoria’s reign in England, from 1837-1901. It was a period of great prosperity and innovation.

The introduction of the knife rest was associated with a change in dining habits. The Victorian era is known for its elaboration of all aspects of dining, but especially for the proliferation of cutlery and glassware. The Victorians introduced the idea of several courses with a smaller number of food/menu choices. A different knife, fork and glass for every course was the norm.

Originally, the knife rests were probably set on the sideboard to protect the cloth runner. But as with most aspects of this era, eventually they became another aspect of elaborate table dressing. They were most certainly important for the protection of the beautiful table linens that were in use during that time.

Knife rests were made in almost any material, shape, size, and configuration you could imagine. Silver, gold, pottery, mother of pearl, ivory, horn and many combinations of these materials were used.

More information can be found here.

Books:
Knife Rests by Virginia L. Neas

Antique Knife Rests by Dean Rockwell

We'll be linking this post to Laurie's A Few of My Favourite Things Saturday meme, why not pop over to her great blog for a few more favourite things.

Damaged Goods or Favorite Treasure? Part Two

2010-10-06T05:34:00.000+02:00

A while back Maggie posted the original entry, Damaged Goods or Favorite Treasure?

As I was unpacking I came across several pieces that I have always adored.

Since they are already broken I have no fear displaying them near little hands.

All of these pieces are pretty crudely glued back together, somehow it doesn't bother me.
The tulip vase was broken by the base.

And as you can tell the little tray broke in several places.

The colors of both pieces are so beautiful together.
I love how the mums from the garden bring a little Fall inside.

This tray has a nice clean break.

And I was finally able to successfully dry
a hydrangea from my garden.

Flowers and Quimper what more does a girl need!

Happy Friday.
-Katie

How are you accessorizing?

2010-10-04T19:56:00.004+02:00

October has finally arrived which means the much anticipated meeting is this month! Are you ready? While cleaning out my closet, putting summer stuff away and bringing fall to the front...I uncovered some of my much loved Quimper accessories - silk scarf, heart pendant and badges. Do you know where yours are? Time to put them close to your suitcases and get ready for the Savannah soirre!

Country French Antiques

2010-10-01T14:10:00.005+02:00

I thought I would share one of my favorite French inspired blogs, Country French Antiques. They have a store located in Kentucky, European Antique Market. Not only is there a lot of eye candy but the music play list is fabulous for entertaining. Go check it out and share with us your favorite item.

Mine is this great idea of using an old shutter as an awning!

Enjoy this wonderful Friday!

Breton Birds ... judy

2010-09-29T15:52:00.000+02:00

I have a thing about birds - I really like them! I've always thought birds were interesting, pretty, and all that, but I have come to really like them. I like them eating seeds on the sill outside the kitchen window, and I like them when I go into a pet store, and I flipped over the falconry display at Puy du Fou (a theme park where we went for Marcel's birthday in June) - a new project for when I retire!!

Because life in Brittany is so intimately connected with the land and the sea, it is not surprising that images of the flora and the fauna of the region have an important place in its art. Bird motifs are found in every medium, and today the pictures will do the talking ...

I wanted to include a photo of MY birds - Charles and Petula - who are not Breton but were rescued from a Quimper auction house. They are yellow-fronted canaries from Mozambique, and they live in a flying cage in our garage, up against a window. They hate to be photographed, and I was unable to get a picture of them for this post!You will have to come to visit them in person ...

Credit for the above images: old Quimper birds (in the public domain), Le Minor embroideries old and new, Marie Toulhoat (contemporary ceramicist), designs from Le Livre des 5000, Jean-Claude Taburet (contemporary ceramicist and sculptor), Philippe Lalys (contemporary ceramicist), Bijoux Toulhoat (contemporary Breton jewelers).

Some Favorites in Camaïeu Blue By Sarah

2010-09-24T05:05:00.009+02:00

Hanging French Shelf with Camïeu Blue Quimper Pottery

With the exception of a small blue willow tea set, we don't have the typical collection one thinks of for blue and white pottery. Ours is not Chinese, nor is it Delft or English. What we do have is a small group of French faïence done in the camaïeu blue technique.

Unmarked Quimper Secouette or Snuff Bottle

It's once again time for Laurie's A Few Of My Favorite Things and also Blue Monday with Smiling Sally. So it's a perfect opportunity to share a group of French faïence done in the camaïeu technique. Camaïeu is a technique where by an object is decorated in varying shades of one color. In this case blue. Pieces are often outlined or shaded in a darker shade and then accented with lighter shades of the same color family.

HB Quimper Doughnut Shaped Teapot with Missing Lid

Though beautiful examples of entire scenes painted in camïeue blue were produced, we unfortunately don't have any in our personal collection. Our pieces painted in this technique are in the fleur de lys decor, of which this doughnut shaped tea pot is a classic example. You can see the outline done in the darkest color and then the use of two lighter shades of blue. All this done on a white glaze background.

HB Quimper Porte Bouquet on Rectangular Base

HR Quimper Tri-Lobed Footed Saucer with Three Small Feet on the Base

Most of our pieces in this decor were produced by HB Quimper. The above saucer is of HR Quimper production. One can see that the decor varies little between these two faïenceries.

HB Quimper Secouette (Front on Left, Reverse on on Right)

This little secouette or snuff bottle was quite a find. Often these small pieces were not marked, but this one bears the mark of HB Quimper on the reverse seen with the ermine tail. It also retains the original cork with wire pull. It is rare to find a secouette with its original cork in place. I've not attempted to remove the cork because of fear it would pull apart, but I can shake the secouette and hear that it indeed has something inside. I suspect it is extremely aged snuff.

Pair of HB Quimper Shell Shaped Dishes
with HB Quimper Heart Shaped Secouette

In Brittany one is never far from the sea, so these little scalloped shell dishes are the perfect shape to reflect a life tied to the sea. The pair shown on either side of the secouette are very delicate in feel, and they are very small in size as you can see compared to the small secouette. They are less than 3.5" x 4.5".

Reverse of HB Quimper Shell Shaped Dish with Mark

The reverse side is also interesting. These little dishes sit on a rimmed base, and the mark includes a G, which I suspect is an artist signature.

HB Porte Carte

This little porte carte was made to hold a small card, perhaps to mark one's place at the table or to hold a small menu card. I have to confess that I've a passion for both porte carte forms and those of secouettes. I like the textural feel of holding these little treasures of the past in the palm of my hand. I'm particularly pleased we have this one because it is done in camïeue blue, and it is the only example in our group of camïeue blue that features a figure.

Reverse of HB Porte Carte

The reverse does feature the fleur de lys, but the feel is very different from the typical fleur de lys pattern shown in the above photos.

Unmarked Perfume Faïence Flask

This last piece doesn't qualify as a camïeue piece, but I have it displayed with the group because it seems to fit in. This is a perfume bottle, much the size and style of a secouette.

Reverse Side of Perfume Flask

You can see from the wording on this side that this was made for Guy Parfumeur. Coeur de Bretagne indicates the heart of Brittany, but perhaps this is simply a reference to this piece being a souvenir of Brittany. I've had no success tracking down any information on this parfumeur. The piece is unmarked other than the references on this side. If anyone has any ideas or knowledge of this piece, please share.

To see more faience produced with this technique click here to read Cerélle's post that featured pieces in her collection, and click here to see Melissa's beautiful collection of camïeue blue
.

Click here to join others at Laurie's A Few Of My Favorite Things.

Visitors for Blue Monday can click here to go to Smiling Sally's for a list of other Blue Monday posts.

Yvon Roy, Ceramicist ... judy

2010-09-22T19:08:00.000+02:00

About 15 years ago, I bought this plate in a flea market because I liked the pattern (we know I like birds!), the colors (there is flash reflection in this photo, but that brilliant blue is the real color), and the thumbprint edge on the plate. I had no idea who Yvon Roy was.

Then I found some Quimper-style pieces:

And one day when I was in the shop, a young man came in. He was a sales rep for the Faïencerie de Montgolfier, which is in the Sarthe (near Le Mans). He had some interesting things to show me, and I looked at his literature about the history of the manufacture – lo and behold!, it was founded by Yvon Roy. And the young man in front of me was Roy's grandson – the business was still in the family.

In 2001, Stéphane Deschang's book about Malicorne pottery was published, and there was Yvon Roy's signature as one of the Tessier manufacture marks ... had I know then what I know about Malicorne now, I might have figured that out – these plates are very much Tessier style.

Like many (if not most) pottery manufactures in the northern half of France, Roy took advantage of the market for pottery with Breton figures.

The sabot form was used as a bank, as a triple vase (I have to say that this might be one of the least attractive pieces ever made), and a double salt. Roy's signature also evolved – that's a very stylized ermine tail instead of a Y.

And these two bowls have motifs from the embroidery designs of Pont L'Abbé - a long way from the Sarthe ...

Roy did a series of designs influenced by Moroccan patterns (as did Quimper from time to time). The shape of the little covered pot is charming, with its pleated handles.

And Yvon Roy developed a technique for which the Faïencerie de Montgolfier became well-known. He put a layer of color on his piece and then engraved it to bring up the pattern in the undercolor (usually white).

So he painted the blue and then used an engraving tool to engrave the design (which by the way is a triskell, another symbol associated with Brittany), which is defined as white. You can actually see the engraving in the color layer.

This covered serving dish, engraved on yellow, reminds me of Keraluc – look at those very modern-looking handles!

And this is my favorite piece of all – the pitcher is engraved with a fish and a boat ...

Yvon Roy died in the late 1950s, at about the same period as Paul Fouillen and Victor Lucas – a generation of ceramicist-entrepreneurs ended sort of all at once. But genetics will out ... the young man who sold me pieces of his grandfather's designs today has his own manufacture in Quimper: Céramiques de Cornouaille.

It's Not Easy Being Green by Sarah

2010-09-18T12:43:00.003+02:00

A Sunday Favorites Rerun

This post was originally published on Hyacinths for the Soul. It is being repurposed here on the QCI Blog and linked to Chari's Sunday Favorites @ Happy to Design.

"It's not that easy being Green.

Having to spend each day the color of the leaves.

It seems you blend in with so many other ordinary things,

And people tend to pass you over . . . "

Words taken from Kermit's Famous Song IT'S NOT THAT EASY BEING GREEN

No, it's not that easy being green, especially in the world of Quimper French pottery. The color green is found on many pieces as an accent, but for the primary color of this pottery to be green is most unusual.

Green Hydrangeas and Yoko Ono Green Land Mums

Others might have passed this coffee/tea service by without much thought, but it was love at first sight for "the chef" and me. It's a complete service for twelve: dessert plates, cups and saucers, creamer, sugar, and coffee/tea pot.

A friend contacted me in the summer of 2006. She knew of a couple who were downsizing and wanted to sell a complete tea/coffee service. Jacqueline, who is French and the original owner, included a note with the special story of this set.

Soon after WWII, she and her American soldier husband, traveled to the United States to begin a life together here. In the summer of 1946, on a visit back to France to visit her parents, Jacqueline and her mother visited Brittany and the atelier of Paul Fouillen. It was on this trip that Jacqueline's mother purchased this set as a gift for Jacqueline.

There were actually two sets purchased at the time. The other very different in color and design was enjoyed by Jacqueline's mother during her lifetime. Jacqueline's daughter now treasures the set that had been her grandmother's, so she didn't need this set. Lucky me!

Jacqueline told me that she carefully packed this set in her suitcase and carried it with her on the return journey, crossing the Atlantic by ship and then traveling by train on to Texas.

Paul Fouillen opened his atelier in the late 1920s. He is well known for his unique designs with both Celtic and Art Deco influences.

The wonderful hand crimped handles on each of these pieces are glazed with a sponge technique. Though each piece includes the concentric bands of green color and the green checks, there are different designs painted on each side of the various pieces.

And this magnificent tray matches our service!

A very thoughtful friend and fellow member in the Quimper Club International sent me this tray as a surprise one Christmas.

It was a piece from her own collection.

When she learned that I had purchased the dessert service, she felt the tray should be reunited with the set.

See, it has the darling dragonfly that is on the tea/coffee pot.

Lucky me, again! Thank you, Laverne!

I've talked enough. Won't you join me for a cup of tea?

Sugar?

Cream?

And how about a little something sweet?

You may serve yourself with this sweet sterling fork that I found while antique shopping in Santa Fe.

Help yourself to a plate and one of these little cake forks.

You may use one of the beautiful linen napkins that were gifts from Mary @ A Breath of Fresh Air. Just look at the fine detail on these.

May I tempt you with a horn of dulce de leche? These horns are filled with a sweet caramelized goat's milk cream.

Or for all you chocolate lovers, here is a special Hatch chili chocolate brownie.

This is the season for the famous Hatch chilies from Hatch, New Mexico.

These chilies are HOT and add a subtle spicy after-taste to the chocolate.

The chocolate isn't really that hot, but have another sip of tea if you like.

"I'm green, and it'll do fine, it's beautiful!"

As you can see, sometimes I repurpose this service when I want to serve a glass of ice tea. With the heat of summer still present here in Texas, perhaps you'd like a glass of ice tea instead.

Sunday Favorites is a weekly meme that features re-runs of previously published posts. Click here to see what other Sunday Favorites are being shared this week.

But what's it for??

2010-09-15T10:47:00.001+02:00

There are a number of pieces in French pottery that lead one to ask "but what's it for?" Often the explanation is logical ("oh, why didn't I think of that!") and relates to the utility of the piece and French culture ... here are some of my favorites:

The famous "beurrier conservateur" :

This two-part piece is a butter keeper, used to preserve churned butter, going back to a day when there was no refrigeration. (And even when there was ... until we had cats, we only put our butter in the fridge in the month of August – it's not that hot here in Brittany.)

This is the lid, turned upside down; the butter gets packed into the cup with the holes.

Then the lid is turned right side up again and placed into the pot, which has been filled with cold water, which serves to seal the butter and keep it fresh. To serve the butter, the lid is simply taken out, turned upside down again, and placed on the table!

The real butter keeper is made of stoneware, which is more suitable for keeping the water cool and therefore the butter fresh. However, the form has been copied in pottery by the Quimper manufactures (and others) – it's a piece that's fun to talk about and therefore fun to sell. (I used to run a shop in the center of Quimper, and one day a Japanese tourist came in. She spoke no French nor English, but she had a clipping from a Japanese newspaper with drawings of the butter keeper - a splendid example of cross-cultural communication!)

Here's a piece from 100 years ago that looks like a candlestick:

But why does it have those pinched spouts on either side? Ah, because it's an oil lamp for floating wicks, and the spouts make it easy to empty out the oil!

I don't know the answer to this one:

It's a Boulogne piece made as a souvenir, shaped sort of like an upside-down umbrella, with six holes. I believe that I have been told in times gone by that this type of piece is a cigar holder (for the little ones). However, nobody agrees with me about this, and pencils seem to be the next best candidate for these holes. I'm open to suggestions ...

This one is obviously a snail!

This snail is unusual in that it is part of a series of animals designed to be knife rests. The French are big on knife rests, even today – it's one way to use fewer pieces of flatware and still keep your tablecloth clean. When I moved here, I thought the concept was so cool, and I went right out and bought very plain crystal ones. The Quimper ones are more utilitarian than decorative – square, triangular, or round with square ends – but the Desvres and Boulogne ones are much more whimsical, with shapes of all sorts of animals. However, the animals usually have long backs so that it is easy to place the knife, even if you come to the table without your glasses. With this snail, you need to pay attention to where exactly that knife is placed.

Here's a contemporary piece whose style has been very popular for the last ten or so years:

It's a round platter, mostly intended for desserts (although pizza would work), and the "what's it for" question relates to the numbers around the border. It's called a "plat diviseur", and it is intended to help you cut even portions of whatever is being presented on the platter. Depending on how many are at your table, you make the first cut at zero and subsequent cuts at the number corresponding to the how many pieces you want: so if there are seven for birthday cake, you cut at zero and all the sevens. Of course, if there are more than nine people, then you will have to use your eye to do some extra cutting. For ten, for instance, you would cut at zero and all the fives, and then each piece would have to be cut in half again. If there are more than 18 of you, then you need another cake! (By the way, this particular platter from Pornic features a version of the cornucopia pattern that just about every manufacture in France did at some time in its history!)

And this is my absolute favorite:

This is a page from the book Le Livre des 5000, a catalogue of designs from around 1930 from the HB Quimper manufacture. I puzzled over these patterns for a long time, and finally one day, I got it! These are designs for umbrella handles, with each side of the handle being depicted. Somebody put a lot of thought into these, but I do not believe that they were ever produced; they are a most interesting example of being artistic about the utilitarian!

So that's what it is for ...

Barnyard Bash ~ French Style by Sarah

2010-09-09T18:18:00.004+02:00

Paper Maché Figures from French Artist, Aude Goalet

Welcome to the French countryside for the First Barnyard Bash hosted by Happier Than a Pig in Mud.

~ Barnyard Bash French Style ~

8.5" Unmarked Manor House Plate

It's early morning at le mas, a typical french farm house.

8.75" Unmarked Soleil Plate

Le soleil rises over the hillside and . . .

11.5" HB Quimper Charger

The sound of Le coq is heard as he announces a beautiful new day at le ferme.

HB-Henriot Hen on Nest

Séance de poule is on her nest ready to provide fresh eggs for the day.

7.75" Unmarked Deep Dish Plate

One can hear the swishing sound of birds as they fly above the nearby pond, the elegant cygne noir gracefully glides across the still water.

Pair of Figurals Marked Rouen Decor Fait Main

Young Juliet and Jean Pierre are up early for their morning chores before they head off to school.

12" Malicorne Charger, Pre-Lawsuit Mark of Reversed P & B

Monsieur looks across his land with great pride as another day dawns.

Pig Bank Marked HB Quimper

Le porc can be heard snorting about the barnyard.

8.25" Plate Marked HB Quimper

While the spat of deux coqs echos through the barnyard.

Horse Figural Marked Rouen Decor Fait Main

Frisky chevaux gallop across the pasture in the morning dew.

Unmarked Desvres 3-Sided Tea Caddy

All is right in the world on this fine day.

Oil and Vinegar Server, First Mark Porquier-Beau

There is much work to be done in the fields and vegetables to be gathered from the garden.

Goat Figural Double Salt Marked Gaetan Level

La chevre helps carry the load from the fields back to the barn.

10.75" Malicorne Charger Marked PBx

There is the walk into the village for the morning market to sell some chickens and fresh eggs.

Unmarked Desvres 3-Sided Tea Caddy

And many chores for the lady of the house before days end.

Reverse Side of Oil and Vinegar Server, First Mark Porquier-Beau

Fresh water for cooking and washing is gathered from the well as Monsieur heads to the house at day's end.

Cat Figural Marked AG

Of course every ferme has un chat.

HR Quimper Jardiniere

And at the end of the week there is much singing and dancing to celebrate with a

A Barnyard Bash ~ French Style

9.5" Malicorne Plate Marked PBx

So grab a partner and dance yourself right over to Happier Than a Pig in Mud, our hostess for the First Annual Barnyard Bash. Also you are invited to join me at Hyacinths for the Soul for a Barnyard Bash ~ English Style. Hope to see you there!

Also linking this post to Laurie's A Few of My Farorite Things Saturday @ Bargain Hunting and Chatting with Laurie. Click here to see others sharing favorite things this Saturday.

From the Land of Ty Breiz ... judy

2010-09-08T16:33:00.002+02:00

Brittany is made up of four départements (more than a county, less than a state), and where three of them come together (Finistère, Morbihan, Côtes d'Armor), there is a little town called Gourin. With a population of around 4300, it could easily be lost in the wilds of central Brittany ... but it is not! Gourin is famous, even infamous, for its ties to North America. There was a major migration from Gourin to North America at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century and again in the 1950s, after the Canadian consul paid a visit to Gourin. There is even a replica of the Statue of Liberty in the center of Gourin!

In 1957, Ets Cozic was founded in Gourin. It still exists today as an importer and wholesale distributor of home decor items, particularly table and kitchen wares. But in the early years of its history, it manufactured in Gourin a pottery signed Ty Breiz (Ty Breiz is Breton for "the house of Brittany"). One day, the kilns were turned off permanently, but the production continued, subcontracted to Longchamp (whose doors unfortunately closed a year or so ago). As readers of this blog know, I am a big fan of post-WWII Breton pottery, and one of the Ty Breiz styles has been a favorite in our house for the last 15 years.

This Ty Breiz style comes in five colors: fluorescent yellow, poison green, caramel, burgundy, and black.

The origin of the central motif is clearly the triskell, the Celtic symbol whose meaning has a number of interpretations but is generally considered to represent water, earth, and fire.

The border has geometric elements that are also frequently found on Quimper pottery.

And it also has a border style that is a kind of feathering most often seen on pastries called napoleons in the US and millefeuilles in France!

I've never actually set a table with just Ty Breiz before, and it was something of a challenge, starting with a tablecloth color that would go with the five Ty Breiz colors. I ended up with this red and ocher woven cloth from the Basque country. (The four major regions in France for ceramics and linens are the Alsace, Provence, the Basque country, and Brittany. And it's amazing how well the styles from the different regions mix and match!) And now having set the table and tried to photograph it, I'm in awe of all you bloggers who take great pix of your table settings!

In addition to the colors, I really like the forms of many of the pieces. You've already seen an hors d'oeuvres server with its compartments. There is an interesting sauceboat shape in the above photo. I have two of the long, narrow oval platters; they are fish platters, but they are very useful for a bûche de Noël at Christmas. The leaf-shaped ravier is great for cocktail nibbles, as are the little round bowls (which are the pieces I use all the time – in my next life, I'm only having bowls and spoons in my house, and I'm only eating bowl food.)

There are other decors manufactured by Cozic that are also signed Ty Breiz.

This is a trivet that I bought because it is a matte pink (it's rare to see this shade of pink as a Breton pottery color) and it is decorated in black and white, also unusual. Nice faces, too!

You can still find a fair amount of Ty Breiz pottery in this area – not that I actually need any more, but I could use some green plates to balance out my color assortments ...

Inkwells ~ A Favorite Form by Sarah

2010-09-02T23:16:00.016+02:00

I suppose many of us who collect French faience tend to favor certain forms or decors from time to time. Once a particular interest is sparked a collection within a collection begins to form. This group of Quimper ink wells was gathered together over many years. I've grouped them on a tray that moves about our home. Each of these date to around 1920 - 1930.

The heart shaped one is the first piece of vintage Quimper I acquired. It was a birthday gift from a group of friends given to me in the 1980s. This little heart was the piece that fueled my interest in antique and vintage pieces of French faience.

A souvenir from a California vacation one summer, this little faience charmer is new production from the 1980s. It is simply marked France Decor Main.

It opens to this sweet little flower shaped stopper covering the well.

More faience ink wells can be found sitting among books on shelves in a guest bedroom. These three were produced by Alcide Chaumeil and are known simply as CA faience because of the mark.

I first saw this square example in the collection of a fellow QCI member. A year or so later I was fortunate to find one for our collection.

It appealed to me because of the mechanics of this box. The ceramic lid pivots across to reveal the well for the ink. I suspect this is a rare form.

Another interesting form is this CA figural of a Breton fisherman pulling in his catch. The coiled rope is the lid to the inkwell.

A French market find, this rather large piece is unfortunately missing its lid. I found it laying in a box of assorted things at a weekend brocante. The price was too good to pass it by, so it too resides among the others, sans hat as Debbie @ Confessions of a Plate Addict says. You can read about her French ink well find here.

This little pair of bunnies were an eBay purchase. One holds the quills and the other the ink well. They are Desvres production.

A limited edition piece, this handsome ink stand was produced in 1990 by HB Henriot to commemorate the tricentennial of the faience of Quimper. The hand painted scene depicts the city of Quimper and the Odet River. The soft blue glaze and the fine detailed painting make this a remarkable piece.

A documentation card provided with this piece shows the other limited edition pieces that were produced for this special occasion.

If you are a collector of Quimper or other French faience, the bi-yearly QCI Journal is an excellent resource for those interested in specific forms or decors produced through the years. The colorful publication, free to members, includes the standing feature, Forms and Decors in addition to informative articles on various topics related to French faience. To join the Quimper Club International click here and begin receiving your copies of this publication. Back issues are also available for purchase. More information about both QCI and the Journal can be found on the sidebar.

So what collections within a collection can be found in your home?

These French faience ink wells are a few of my favorite things.

To see a list of others who are sharing some of their favorite things click here to join

A Few Of My Favorite Things Saturday

@ Bargain Hunting & Chatting with Laurie.

Also linking to the following parties:

Le Chateau des Fleurs French Obsession Party #6

Smiling Sally's Blue Monday

Gypsy's Corner's Three or More Tuesday

Judy's Day at the Flea Market

2010-09-01T10:04:00.001+02:00

I love selling on the Internet, but once a year, I sell at a big flea market in Quimper, and it's a blast. It clears out things in one fell swoop and I get to spend all day talking to people. This particular flea market has been in existence for almost 20 years, and it is always the last Sunday in August. It is at the Quimper Parc des Expositions, Quimper's exhibit space which is frankly kind of a dump, and it generally has about 350 sellers, a good mix of professional and non-professional sellers. I sell a variety of things, mostly pottery. This year, I packed up seven plastic boxes, including pottery that I am selling for clients:

and pieces from our own collection (this batch is what did not sell in a recent mailing):

Of course, it's important to remember all the auxiliary bits, like scissors, stickers, pens, paper, kleenex, a thermos of hot tea, lunch, snacks (got to keep your strength up!), business cards, table covers (old sheets are good), and packing materials:

Last year, I exhibited by myself, and it was a very long day. I could not move from my booth, so I didn't get to buy (selling is less fun if you don't get to buy also!). This year, I exhibited with my neighbor, who had household stuff to sell, and the wife of Philippe Lalys, ceramics artist in Quimper. My neighbor drove, and so we loaded up her station wagon Saturday night. She already had a lot in it when she arrived at my house, and she didn't think we'd get it all in, but I'm pretty good at packing by now, and we managed!

Both my cohorts thought I was joking when I said we had to be there at 6 a.m. to set up. But you have to get there early if you want to unload easily AND if you want to be accessible to the really serious buyers who are running around the place with flashlights and cash, waiting for treasures to come out of boxes. So at 6:05 a.m., we were at the end of a rather long line of cars waiting to enter to set up, but it moved pretty quickly, and we were unpacking by 6:30 a.m. We were in a big hall that is basically a corrugated tin building with a macadam floor. We found our spot and started to unload.

Luckily, we had light - the other half of the hall was in the dark for unknown reasons.

By 8:00 a.m., when the doors officially opened, we were ready to go. Me:

My neighbor:

Mme Lalys:

At 8:15, we had a problem. A very late arriving seller could not find her space on our row, and finally someone from the organization team arrived with a tape measure. We had taken up half a table too much (that was half my fault, but it was also half the organizers' fault - the spaces were not clearly marked), and the domino effect down the row meant that this seller didn't have a space. So we scrambled to move our things (which is really a drag when you have to move a tablecloth with lots of breakables on it).

One of the great things about doing a flea market is you do unearth things tucked in the back of your storage. A year ago, when I did my inventory, I was sure that I had put aside a package of Quimper calendar tea towels. And then I could never find them again (that's what's wrong with cleaning things out - it's possible to get too organized!). Well, I found them when I was packing up last week. By now, a 2010 tea towel has four months of decorative value left, after which it becomes just another thing to dry glassware with, so these were on sale big time, 1 euro each.

I priced things to sell, and they did! It's great to wrap it up and move it out - I love seeing spaces appear on the table (if you have good sales, you get to spend all day rearranging your selling space)!! It was fun to talk to experienced collectors as well as some who are just getting into it. It's also fun to bargain ...

I sold some of almost everything, including five copies of my book. However, I did not sell a single necklace - I do have to say that I brought a selection of less expensive ones, which are perhaps also the less eye-catching ones of my collection. I should just save them for crafts markets ...

My last client of the day bought four of the eight cider cups that I had - I made her a great price in the hopes that she would take all eight, but just to see the four of them go made me happy (at 50 cents apiece, you can see that it doesn't take much to make me happy ... ).

There was traffic all day long. There was such a range of merchandise, from antiques and collectibles to used clothing and books - really, something for everybody. The serious buyers are there in the morning. There is a lull at the Sunday lunch hour. Mid to late afternoon is the time for the Sunday strollers. And at the end of the day, the last-minute bargain hunters come out - many sellers would rather sell something at a huge discount at the end than have to pack it up and take it home.

Around 5:30 p.m., we decided that it was getting quiet and that it was time to pack up and go. The seller across the aisle from us had put a sign up that he was giving away for free everything on his table. My neighbor took over her one remaining lampshade that she did NOT want to take home and added it to his merchandise. The organizers were walking around with big bags of bread leftover from making sandwiches, selling the baguettes for 50 cents a piece. Packing up was fast for all three of us - we all had good sales.

And the car took about two minutes to load - the only reason it was at all full was that someone delivered a platter to me, so there was an extra box to tote. And I had loaned a clothes rack to someone who was selling; it was returned to me right there, so we stuck it in the car.

And, as I said, it's no fun unless you get to buy ... I got the first shot at the Lalys pieces, and I bought these two rooster plates - design trials - as well as a Le Creuset casserole (for 5 euros - too good a deal to pass up, particularly as it is ovenproof), a teapot with Bigoudènes, a Keraluc dish in the manganese/color series (I love this blue!), an HB fan vase (needs restoring), and two miniature Henriot pitchers which also need a little touching up.

By 6:30 p.m., I was home. It was a fun day, it was a profitable day, I wouldn't want to do it for a living, but I can't wait until next year!

Free As A Bird.....by Cerélle B

2010-08-30T00:40:00.002+02:00

We're linking this post to Three or More Tuesday hosted by Tam @ The Gypsy's Corner, do visit Tam's great blog to see who else is gathered there for show and tell this week.

Free As A Bird....

Or As A Bird Should Be..

It is very uncomfortable for me to see birds in cages. A bird, by its very nature should be free, and though all do not retain the ability to fly, it is by description the very personification of a bird. And so, while I will not have caged birds, I love to provide food and habitat for them in my garden. In other words, they are invited and they DO come.

In Arizona, we have resident birds, Gambel Quail, the Cactus Wren (our state bird), roadrunners (of cartoon fame), and many other less famous but equally personable ones, the thrasher, the towhee, Gila woodpeckers, flickers, our feisty and musical mockingbirds, and among the many others, a special favorite..the tiny jewels - hummingbirds.

This stained glass wreath is one I designed...leaning on Della Robbia inspiration, and Bill crafted for us. This is our beloved Gambel Quail..rather than a Partridge.

There are also many migratory birds who spend part of the year here, or pass through on their way to places elsewhere. This way, we have the joys of Canada Geese, mallard ducks, orioles - who are native but come down from the mountains when it is cold, robins, and I have even seen a flock of snow geese flying over.
Here in our own yard, we have many of those flying aces, the jeweled hummingbirds. At certain times of the year, when the migratory ones join our permanent residents, there is a real competition for those four feeders.

I suppose it isn't surprising that I am always attracted to the faïence birds and have added quite a few to my collection. I do wish that I would find a hummingbird..but that seems not to exist...or at least I have not yet seen one!
Here are a few of my tiny ones..the chouette (small owl) is Malicorne, the paon (peacock) is from Tessier at Malicorne, and the duck basket is Geo Martel of Desvres.

This little bird-on-the-nest box is a real charmer..and is likely Desvres.

Also from Desvres, is this long legged bird by a stump which was made to hold a ring. I love his colors..and the way he has his eye on that little green caterpillar!

Then there are the bird plates...LOTS of Bird plates! I find it hard to resist them..and have more than I have room to hang. They sit on stands on a rotating basis. Many of the birds, I am unable to identify, likely as there are different bird species in Europe...must get a book.

These three are Quimper and I am just crazy about the cake platter with a bird and her nest..and the wonderful colors, especially those peaches, or perhaps apples..but I prefer peaches!

This charger is also from Quimper..and again I am unable to identify the bird, but he has character. I have MANY more..but this blog is only so long.

As with other items I collect, I search for faïence..but find other related things which I add too. This magpie just called my name. He is unmarked, and a soft ceramic not unlike faïence, but I don't know his origin...and only later discovered that he is a nice imitator of the ones by Meissen in 1730. Perhaps mine is Staffordshire.

At our meeting in La Baule, I bought this crazy owl..8.5 in (21 cm) tall, with a coiled snake on his head to hold a candle...imagine! He is done in soft colors, and I especially like the manganese lavenders. He was done by Geo Martel of Desvres.

Then have you ever noticed the
border on my Philippe Lalys platter
with the courting couple and the swan? It is all oak leaves and acorns and delightful little birds. I am not the ONLY bird lover!

He has done quite a few bird plates and I have one of a soft brown bird with a bunch of the cherries he is seeking.

Then, of course there is the big platter he did as a reprise of one by Porquier...
The songbird of many colors and the splendid, almost too good to be true, Golden Pheasant! (shown in a close view at the top of the blog)...
Now THAT'S a BIRD!

See you soon..Cerélle