Memo from J-P
For this page of oldquimper.com, we give the floor to Jean-Pierre, who serves as the CFO (Chief Feline Officer) of The Meadows Collection. Appointed to that position in 2007, he has gamely agreed to attempt the daunting task of taking over the duties previously fulfilled by the late, but ever-present-in-our-hearts, Porquier-Beau...whose image continues to grace the upper left corner of this link.
Jean-Pierre is now twelve-years-old, which translates to sixty-four in human years. He is still very young-at-heart and so full of enthusiasm that he has bravely stepped up to the plate.
It is with great pleasure that we pass along the latest Memo from J-P:
Greetings to all.
First a little bit about me:
Jean-Pierre is now twelve-years-old, which translates to sixty-four in human years. He is still very young-at-heart and so full of enthusiasm that he has bravely stepped up to the plate.
It is with great pleasure that we pass along the latest Memo from J-P:
Greetings to all.
First a little bit about me:
I was born in Paris and am thoroughly français despite paperwork that lists me as being a chat de la fôret norvégienne (Norwegian Forest Cat). My full name is Châtelain Jean-Pierre. Châtelain because being born in 2007... December 21, 2007 to be precise...means that in accordance with French regulations, my name must begin with the letter 'c'. Those born in 2008 have names that begin with a 'd', those born in 2009 have names beginning with the letter 'e' and so on.
Châtelain is a French term from the Middle Ages used to distinguish the seigneur or lord of the manor. We live in Quimper now, so it's more like lord of the apartment...but the important part is that I rule the roost, so to speak. Jean is in reference to Jean-Baptiste Bousquet who settled in Quimper in 1699 and Pierre is in honor of his son, Pierre Bousquet, who in 1708 founded Quimper's first modern -day pottery factory.
Châtelain is a French term from the Middle Ages used to distinguish the seigneur or lord of the manor. We live in Quimper now, so it's more like lord of the apartment...but the important part is that I rule the roost, so to speak. Jean is in reference to Jean-Baptiste Bousquet who settled in Quimper in 1699 and Pierre is in honor of his son, Pierre Bousquet, who in 1708 founded Quimper's first modern -day pottery factory.
Every once in a while I like to put the spotlight on a specific topic…it might be an unusual example of Quimper pottery or perhaps a further look at a place or structure…something that I feel will further your enjoyment of French faïence.
And then sometimes I take this opportunity to share with you some of our adventures in Quimper...because one of the results of being so gab-smacked enamored of Quimper pottery has led to the inevitable and now we live in Quimper...right in the middle of Old Town !
I'm an indoor cat, but I do see a lot from our windows and the folks are always up for an adventure. Here's a quick rundown of what we were up to last month...it will give you a bit of a taste of the sights and sounds of living in Quimper.
There was lots of cake this past month...a particular type of cake called a galette des rois. A flaky, buttery confection often filled with sweet almond paste that is a traditional January event in France as well as Switzerland, Luxembourg, Belgium and Quebec. Hidden inside is a feve...in centuries past, a bean, but today, the feve is a small ceramic token. Part of every celebration of the new year, the person who gets the piece with the feve is "king" or "queen" for the day...complete with crown.
Dad ended up being King, not once, not twice, but three times during January !
In between all that cake, the folks attended several conferences this past month. One was connected with the exhibition currently on display at the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Quimper..."Raoul Dufy, Les Années Folles" . Dufy (1877-1953) was a French painter, designer, illustrator, ceramist, fabric designer, interior decorator...multi-talented, to say the least. The exhibition includes fabrics designed by Dufy and images of clothing made in the 1920s using those fabrics...particularly fashions created by Paul Poiret, an innovative fashion designer of that era.
Born in Le Havre on the northern coast of France, the color blue and the sea were popular topics of Dufy's paintings, but for his fabric designs...flowers were omnipresent...and one of his favorite topics was the rose.
Roses in a Dufy drawing...
...and on an original 1920s evening dress designed by Paul Poiret.
All of the other outfits in the exhibit are contemporary creations made with Dufy-designed fabric and roses continue to be a popular motif.
Even the "buttons" on one dress resembled roses.
The folks came home from the conference with all sorts of background material on what was going on in the world of design during the period between World War I and World War II, but the part of the conference that I found the most interesting was created earlier...in 1911 when this woodcut illustration by Dufy was published as part of le Bestiaire, a book of poems by Guillaume Apollinaire.
Translation:
The Cat
I wish in my house:
A woman with her reason,
A cat passing among the books,
Friends in all seasons
Without which I can't live.
The Cat
I wish in my house:
A woman with her reason,
A cat passing among the books,
Friends in all seasons
Without which I can't live.
I've struck a pose exactly like that many a time myself ! Another conference the folks attended was about Breton legends, myths and superstitions. Alfred Beau's father-in-law, Emile Souvestre, compiled "Le Foyer Breton" a book on the various "traditional tall tales". Quimper pottery collectors know Beau's illustrations of the tales since some were used by the Porquier pottery.
The three plates above illustrate different legends...in all the Porquier pottery used six of Beau legend designs as decorative motifs on plates, platters, vases, etc.
The conference included short films...one told the tale of a bretonne preparing for a visit from Ankou...the Breton personification of death...sounds grim, but it actually had the audience laughing...
...another film featured the drawings of Pierre Péron and chronicled the follies of an errant petit breton...
...who fell asleep on the job...
only to find himself surrounded by korrigans...
...first one korrigan...then too many to count !
And as usual, the folks went off for several hikes out into the countryside...
...critters lined up as they marched on by...
...and it all seemed quite pastural...
...there was even a patch of wild primrose to hint of a spring around the corner...
...but there's still a bit more to go...
So back they came with muddy boots and hair in disarray...but they did discover some interesting lace curtains in Pont-Croix...
Speaking of hair in disarray...Mom saw these posters in the window of a Quimper hair salon...
Apparently, these are "after" views...images of the finished product...you're supposed to pay money to get this look !
They also visited Quimper's City Hall to view a recently unveiled addition...
...a map of Brittany created in Quimper faïence tiles by Robert Micheau-Vernez.
In 1962, the owners of the Hôtel Celtic in Quimper placed the order and Micheau-Vernez completed it at the HB pottery...finishing it after working for seventeen afternoons during July and August of 1962. The map...made of 192 individual hand-painted tiles...represents the five traditional departments of Brittany and includes small vignettes to highlight specific towns and points of interest. The hotel changed hands and eventually closed...putting the future of the map in question. But in 2006, the map came into the hands of the association representing the works of Robert Micheau-Vernez. After some skilled restoration, it is now in the foyer of Quimper's Hôtel de Ville and available for all to see and enjoy...this is the final piece of faïence created by Micheau-Vernez and the result of the only collaboration he would have with HB.
Dancers from Qumper....
...from Pont-l'Abbé...
...and Pont-Aven are central to the design.
...and lucky me, the image Micheau-Vernez used to represent Quimper is very similar to what I see from my perch overlooking rue Kéréon...
That's my memo for this month; I hope you enjoy my sharing of our adventures in Quimper !