19th Century French Painted Faience Porquier Beau Quimper Crepe Dish Signed PP

$795

About

Serve peanuts or olives in this elegant antique dish. Created in Brittany, France circa 1890, the hand painted faience dish is oval in shape with scalloped edges. Originally used for serving crepes, the dish is decorated at the center with a Breton couple in traditional wedding attire with the inscription “Maries de Saille” at the bottom; it is further embellished with the Guerande coat of arms at the top, and the light and dark blue foliage decor around the edges. The colorful platter is in excellent condition commensurate with age and use, and is marked with the crossed PB stamp underfoot (for Porquier-Beau) and the initials PP. Practical and useful, this decorative piece would make an outstanding addition to your porcelain collection, or could also be used as a vide-poche.
Quimper pottery has a long, impressive history. Tin-glazed, hand painted pottery has been made in Quimper, France since the late seventeenth century. The earliest firm, founded in 1685 by Jean Baptiste Bousquet, was known as HB Quimper. Another firm, founded in 1772 by Francois Eloury, was known as Porquier. The third firm, founded by Guillaume Dumaine in 1778, was known as HR or Henriot Quimper. All three firms made similar pottery decorated with designs of Breton peasants and maritime and flower motifs. The Eloury (Porquier) and Dumaine (Henriot) firms merged in 1913. Bousquet (HB) merged with the others in 1968. The group was sold to a United States family in 1984. More changes followed, and in 2011 Jean-Pierre Le Goff became the owner and the name was changed to Henriot-Quimper. The French firm has been called Societe Nouvelle des Faienceries de Quimper HB Henriot since March 1984. Pottery was made in Quimper when the city was part of the Roman Empire, long before tin-glazed pottery was being made.
Measures: 13″ W x 5.5″ D x 2.25″ H.

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