Shop in Your Slippers
On these pages, we feature a small portion of our extensive inventory of vintage Quimper pottery. We stand behind our pieces and guarantee each to be as described. Your satisfaction is protected with a certificate of authenticity; returns are accepted when notified within three days of receipt. Buyer pays for return shipping. We accept payment in US dollars via PayPal or arrangements can be made for payment by US bank check or postal money order; debit and credit cards are processed via PayPal...our PayPal address is either oldquimper@yahoo.com or meadows@oldquimper.com.
For larger purchases, we are famous for our slow, painless lay-a-ways. That's where you decide how much you want to pay and when...no payment is too small and no time frame is too long! Quimper pottery is one-of-a-kind art...if the right piece comes along just when you need new tires, we understand...believe me, there's nothing worse than us having to answer "No, I'm sorry" when someone asks "Do you still have...?"
We ship via the French postal service (La Poste) and all items are carefully packaged by our in-house, maniacal Virgo...double-boxed with extra packing material, tracking number, insured, etc. Shipping from Quimper to a US address typically takes 6 to 8 days.
If you wish to have your item shipped to a location other than the US or if you have any questions, please remember that we're just an email away! Just contact us at oldquimper@yahoo.com. (Be sure to check your email settings, because...being an email from France...we sometimes end up in your SPAM folder !)
Ready?
Slippers on?
Let's go shopping!
For larger purchases, we are famous for our slow, painless lay-a-ways. That's where you decide how much you want to pay and when...no payment is too small and no time frame is too long! Quimper pottery is one-of-a-kind art...if the right piece comes along just when you need new tires, we understand...believe me, there's nothing worse than us having to answer "No, I'm sorry" when someone asks "Do you still have...?"
We ship via the French postal service (La Poste) and all items are carefully packaged by our in-house, maniacal Virgo...double-boxed with extra packing material, tracking number, insured, etc. Shipping from Quimper to a US address typically takes 6 to 8 days.
If you wish to have your item shipped to a location other than the US or if you have any questions, please remember that we're just an email away! Just contact us at oldquimper@yahoo.com. (Be sure to check your email settings, because...being an email from France...we sometimes end up in your SPAM folder !)
Ready?
Slippers on?
Let's go shopping!
Matched Pair of 19th Century HB ( Only ) Plates...Ouessant and Douarnenez Motifs
A fantastic matched pair of HB ( only ) plates...painted by the same artist and produced during the same time period...circa 1890.
The plates measure 9.75 inches in diameter and have a lightly scalloped or festonnée form. The early clay shows through the overglaze, giving a soft pink tint to the white background...an influence that is a tad more pronounced in the petit breton plate.
Each has a border of alternating floral sprays interspersed with a four-dot motif that serves to frame the scenes of daily life in early Brittany.
First, the petit breton...
He is depicted dressed in his distinctive and colorful working duds...he's an oyster farmer from Douarnenez...
...with a rope over his right shoulder and the basket for the oysters he will harvest in his left hand.
The motif is based on an 1846 drawing by Hippolyte Lalaisse depicting oyster-farming in Douarnenez...
The petite bretonne...
...with her coiffe blowing in the wind as she carries a basket overflowing with fish...
...is based on an 1854 drawing by Alfred-André Geniole...
...of a Breton woman from Ouessant. Ouessant, or Ussant in English, is an island off the coast of Finistère that is the westernmost point of France.
The back of the plates are signed...
...with the conjoined H and B signifying De la Hubaudière-Bousquet.
Condition is remarkable...especially considering their age. Both are in mint condition with the typical bloops, drips, pops and skips that are to be expected for pieces of that early era of Quimper faïence production.
Sorry...Matched pair of 19th century HB (only ) plates...Ouessant and Douarnenez motifs is sold.
Elegant 19th Century Pair of Candlesticks...Gaëtan Level Pottery...Desvres
Desvres is a town in the Pas-de-Calais region of northern France. Pottery production on a commercial scale has been part of Desvres' history since the mid-18th century. The Level family's connection with faïence appears in the town's archives as early as 1850 when Louis Level purchased a floundering pottery that had been founded in 1806 by Jean-François-César Boulongne. When Louis Level died in 1888, his son, Gaëtan, moved the business to another location within Desvres where production continued for just two years...at which time, he sold the enterprise to Georges Martel.
This pair of Gaëtan Level candlesticks or bougeoirs exhibits the classic elegance for which Desvres faïence is renowned.
They measure 7.25 inches high and 4.5 inches wide at the base. Each base has four reserves...two painted with charming port scenes and two painted with florals...guaranteeing each guest at your table an equal view.
The lower portion of each scalloped base has alternating, swirl-accented floral motifs...the background color changing from white to the rich, cobalt-blue that became a hallmark of Desvres production. Tendrils and flowers continue up the stem, culminating into an orange-banded, golden-yellow receptacle for the candle.
One side of the cup on one of the candlesticks appears to have been either originally slightly misshapen or has been repaired...appearance or function is not effected and if you, like most, use drip protectors or bobeches, that part of a candlestick is not visible. Some of the corners have minute chips, and there are some skips and bits of roughness within the decoration, but as you can see by the photographs, appearance is excellent and they are ready to impress !
They are both signed beneath the base...
...with the mark of Gaëtan Level.
Sorry...Elegant 19th century pair of candlesticks...Gaëtan Level pottery...Desvres is sold.
HR Quimper Bombarde Player Plate with Floral Spray Border
A beautifully-painted piece...decorated in the center with a petit breton playing the bombarde. It measures 9.5 inches in diameter and the condition is just like when it was first made. There is a potter's tear to far left of the central motif and a couple of inconsequential bits of kiln dust.
The glaze colors are particularly rich and vibrant. He plays while standing between two exuberant floral sprays...the same floral motif that completely fills the border with a riot of color.
Looking at the back side reveals the reddish clay used during that time period...1910-1920...
...and it is signed HR Quimper on the front under the musician.
HR Quimper bombarde player plate with floral spray border is $ 145. US plus $ 30. as a contribution towards insured shipping to a US address for a total of $ 175. US.
Note: For shipping to other destinations or any questions, please contact us at oldquimper@yahoo.com. (Be sure to check your email settings, because...being an email from France...we sometimes end up in your SPAM folder !)
Note: For shipping to other destinations or any questions, please contact us at oldquimper@yahoo.com. (Be sure to check your email settings, because...being an email from France...we sometimes end up in your SPAM folder !)
Fantastic HR Quimper Fleur-de-Lys Encrier...Fantasy-Form Inkwell
With the invention of the practical typewriter in the 1870s and Lewis Waterman's fountain pen in the 1880s, the general usefulness of an inkwell diminished. But inkwells continued to be a popular collector's item and even today provide inspiration to many a writer...whether the project be a novel, screen play or blog.
Jules Henriot was quick to recognize their popularity among the visitors to Brittany during the Victorian-era's requisite Grand Tour and the result is this fantastic inkwell...the form created by four three-dimensional fleur-de-lys...two green and yellow and two more in blue and yellow.
Standing on a footed base decorated with flower sprigs, a sprinkling of the four-dot motif and red chainette and croisillé accents, the fleur-de-lys are joined to form a holder for the ink pot...called a godet in French. It dates from circa 1900 and...miracle of all miracles...it still has its original fleur-de-ly-topped lid ! This is typically not the case. The godet may not be the original one...and this is not at all unusual due to an inkwell's utilitarian function, but it is a vintage godet from the same factory.
It stands 4.75 inches high and each side is 3 inches wide; there are some bits of rough areas where the glaze didn't adhere on the feet and the inside rim and a small restoration to the inside of one of the tips of one of the fleur-de-lys.
It is signed HR Quimper underneath the base.
Sorry...Fantastic HR Quimper fleur-de-lys encrier...fantasy-form inkwell is sold.
14.75" Wide...Gorgeous HB Quimper "222" Platter
An impressive HB Quimper platter...the form with its scalloped edge and areas of reserve in the border is identified in early factory catalogs as "222". The form was used in different ways and was painted in a variety of decorative motifs. This is a particularly attractive version...not too formal, yet a bit more sophisticated and certainly more difficult to execute with its painterly depiction of a Breton couple and the floral sprays and croisillé design accenting the border.
The handsome petit breton shows off his muscular calves with spiffy blue gaiters...he looks likes he's been working in the field and slung his garden tool over his shoulder so he could chat with the sweet petite bretonne on her way to the market with her rather large shopping basket and trusty umbrella. She looks to be hanging on his every word !
The shape of the platter is accentuated with alternating border motifs.
Circa 1925, it is in excellent condition...some skips and pops and a bit of craquelure...consistent with its age and era of production...and there is one minute flea bite to the glaze at 5 o'clock. It measures a generous 14.75 inches wide, 10.125 inches high and 1.75 inches deep.
It is signed HB Quimper on the front within the central motif and on the back, the signature is HB without the mention of Quimper, 222 to identify the form and O... to identify the artist.
The foot rim in pierced for hanging...indicating that it was always a special piece intended to be displayed with pride.
14.75" wide...gorgeous HB Quimper "222" platter is $ 185. US plus $ 40. as a contribution towards insured shipping to a US address for a total of $ 225. US.
Note: For shipping to other destinations or any questions, please contact us at oldquimper@yahoo.com. (Be sure to check your email settings, because...being an email from France...we sometimes end up in your SPAM folder !)
Note: For shipping to other destinations or any questions, please contact us at oldquimper@yahoo.com. (Be sure to check your email settings, because...being an email from France...we sometimes end up in your SPAM folder !)
Blue Arabesque-Bordered Scalloped Plates...Henriot Quimper with Porquier-Beau Scenes
These two plates were not painted by the same artist, thus are not a matched pair...so we are offering them individually...although we think you will agree that they look fantastic together...
First, the plate with the young musicians...
Arabesque-Bordered Henriot Quimper Plate with Gourin Musicians Scene
The original Alfred Beau watercolor of this endearing scene is entitled #10 Gourin...Ménétriers de Gourin...meaning Pipe Players from Gourin.
Wonderful detail...you can almost hear the music.
The deeply scalloped form is accented with a blue arabesque design centered with the ducal crest of the town of Quimper. The plate measures 10.125 inches in diameter and is in excellent condition. There is a paint bloop...original to when the plate was made circa 1925...that you can see in the above photo to the left of the crest. A bit of the inner golden-yellow stripe dripped down into the white background illustrating the incredible difficulty the vintage faïence makers faced. There are some glaze pops to the edge and a speck of kiln dust at "2 o'clock"...all of this is in keeping with its era of production.
The foot rim is pierced for hanging and it is signed on the back Henriot Quimper by artist 137.
Arabesque-Bordered Henriot Quimper plate with Gourin musicians scene is $ 185. US plus $ 30. as a contribution towards insured shipping to a US address for a total of $ 215. US.
Note: For shipping to other destinations or any questions, please contact us at oldquimper@yahoo.com. (Be sure to check your email settings, because...being an email from France...we sometimes end up in your SPAM folder !)
Note: For shipping to other destinations or any questions, please contact us at oldquimper@yahoo.com. (Be sure to check your email settings, because...being an email from France...we sometimes end up in your SPAM folder !)
Arabesque-Bordered Henriot Quimper Plate with Pont-l'Abbé Scene
An Alfred Beau scene entitled #6 Pont-l'Abbé is the central motif on this Henriot Quimper plate.
It's a beautifully-detailed scene of a young woman wearing an early traditional costume of the commune of Pont-l'Abbé showing a young child the secrets of seeding a garden.
The deeply scalloped form is accented with a blue arabesque design on the border and the ducal crest of the town of Quimper. The plate measures 10.125 inches in diameter and dates from circa 1925. There is a small chip to the edge of the border at 11 o'clock and some glaze skips to the sides of the edges, but one look at the photos show that they are not distracting.
The foot rim is pierced for hanging and it is signed on the back Henriot Quimper by artist 150.
Arabesque-Bordered Henriot Quimper plate with Pont-l'Abbé scene is $ 185 . US plus $ 30. as a contribution towards insured shipping to a US address for a total of $ 215. US.
Note: For shipping to other destinations or any questions, please contact us at oldquimper@yahoo.com. (Be sure to check your email settings, because...being an email from France...we sometimes end up in your SPAM folder !)
Note: For shipping to other destinations or any questions, please contact us at oldquimper@yahoo.com. (Be sure to check your email settings, because...being an email from France...we sometimes end up in your SPAM folder !)
HB Quimper Matched Pair of Arabesque-Border Plates
Painted at the same time...circa 1930...and by the same artist, this pair of 9.5 inch diameter HB Quimper plates features a glorious blue-on-blue arabesque border banded by golden-yellow stripes. The cobalt blue glaze is so luscious, that they are difficult to photograph without reflections.
One has a central motif featuring...
One has a central motif featuring...
...a nattily-dressed petit breton...
...standing with folded arms and smoking a pipe.
His jolie petite bretonne is holding a Quimper stoneware jug known as a cruche...these were used to carry water, milk and wine.
Both wear their everyday sabots...wooden shoes...and stand against a backdrop of lush vegetation on a day when blue skies peek through the clouds and birds are in flight.
The border is spectacular and provides a perfect frame for the central motifs. Both plates have some pops and skips and the petite bretonne plate has some smudges and fingerprints on the back; the petit breton has a very small restoration to the edge at 7 o'clock, the petite bretonne has had one at 5 o'clock, but as you can see from the photographs, appearance is excellent !
They are both signed HB Quimper within the central motif with the addition of the artist's "morse-code" signature...
...on the back: ..+. ( Note that there is no significance whatsoever to the mark on the petit breton plate not including "Quimper". These are hand-painted and the artist may have simply forgotten ).
HB Quimper matched pair of arabesque-border plates is $ 165. US plus $ 40. as a contribution towards insured shipping to a US address for a total of $ 205. US.
Note: For shipping to other destinations or any questions, please contact us at oldquimper@yahoo.com. (Be sure to check your email settings, because...being an email from France...we sometimes end up in your SPAM folder !)
Note: For shipping to other destinations or any questions, please contact us at oldquimper@yahoo.com. (Be sure to check your email settings, because...being an email from France...we sometimes end up in your SPAM folder !)
HB Quimper Plate...Throughly Modern 'Georges Brisson' Design
With the ribbons on his hat floating in the breeze as he boldly stands in a field of flowers, this is a throughly modern petit breton. A colorful departure from the traditional Quimper peasant, the motif is generally accepted to be the work of Georges Brisson.
Georges Brisson (1902-1980) collaborated with the HB pottery, submitting designs from 1922/23 to 1928. During this relatively short period, he produced many striking designs...doing much to modernize HB production...in fact, he created the cover art for the 1926 factory catalog...
By 1930, Brisson had decided to forego ceramics design and devote all of his considerable talents to painting, but before that, he created this dandy Breton...
It measures 9.675 inches in diameter and dates from 1925. The background surface is crackled, there is a restoration to the border at 11 o'clock and a couple of small nibbles to the very edge...but as you can see, because of the unusual border, bright colors and striking design, the appearance is not affected in the least ! It is signed on the back...
Research by Marjatta Taburet notes that the three dot signature on the back was used by a Monsieur Cojan.
HB Quimper plate...thoroughly modern 'Georges Brisson' design is $ 145. US plus $ 30. as a contribution towards insured shipping to a US address for a total of $ 175. US.
Note: For shipping to other destinations or any questions, please contact us at oldquimper@yahoo.com. (Be sure to check your email settings, because...being an email from France...we sometimes end up in your SPAM folder !)
Note: For shipping to other destinations or any questions, please contact us at oldquimper@yahoo.com. (Be sure to check your email settings, because...being an email from France...we sometimes end up in your SPAM folder !)
Victor Lucas-Designed Early Keraluc Bonbonnière
Regular readers know that for the most part, our preference is for Quimper pieces that were made using older, traditional technologies and equipment. This generally rules out more modern pieces...usually defined as those created after the end of Wold War II. But when a piece warrants it, exceptions are made; And this bonbonnière is one of those pieces.
The lid's motif of a colorful rooster sitting on a fence is particularly cheerful...and hopefully, he won't crow each time you lift the lid to take out a treat. Originally for sweets, it could be used to hold all sorts of things. Measuring 5.375 inches in diameter and 2.5 inches high, it even looks good empty !
In 2019, the manoir de Kerazan included this motif as part of a special exhibit...Les animaux du ciel et de la terre ( The animals of land and sky ).
The piece was designed by Victor Lucas and is one of the earliest designs he imagined for his Keraluc pottery. Lucas, 1897-1958, is one of the five artists featured in this year's spectacular exhibition at the Musée de la Faïence.
The rooster stands on one leg amidst floral-topped branches and...paying homage to his days at both Henriot and HB...Lucas accented both the lid and the base with blue and golden-yellow stripes, adding a thin manganese band for additional panache. It's in mint condition...ready to add a delightful touch of cheerfulness !
Dating from the end of the 1940s, it is signed on the bottom of the base with the embossed, early mark of the Keraluc pottery...Made in France Keraluc près Quimper along with the number 3.
Victor Lucas-design early Keraluc bonbonnière is $ 65. US plus $ 20. as a contribution towards insured shipping to a US address for a total of $ 85. US.
Note: For shipping to other destinations or any questions, please contact us at oldquimper@yahoo.com. (Be sure to check your email settings, because...being an email from France...we sometimes end up in your SPAM folder !)
Note: For shipping to other destinations or any questions, please contact us at oldquimper@yahoo.com. (Be sure to check your email settings, because...being an email from France...we sometimes end up in your SPAM folder !)
Keraluc Rooster Candlestick...Designed and Painted by Pierre Toulhoat
This joyful Quimper faïence candlestick is the result of the collaboration of two men who contributed greatly to the success of Quimper as an art pottery. First, Victor Lucas, who founded the Keraluc pottery, then Pierre Toulhoat ( 1923-2014 ), a multi-talented artist who designed the form in September of 1948. Toulhoat was one of the original artists to answer Lucas' call and arguably is one of the most multi-disciplined Breton artist of that era.
You can easily imagine the candlestick singing cocorico !...which is French for cock-a-doodle-doo...although, it being a thoroughly Breton rooster, it would be more fitting that it greet the sun in Breton... kotogotogog !
You can easily imagine the candlestick singing cocorico !...which is French for cock-a-doodle-doo...although, it being a thoroughly Breton rooster, it would be more fitting that it greet the sun in Breton... kotogotogog !
He looks great from all angles...
It measures 7.675 inches high, 5.125 inches wide and 3.675 inches deep at the foot rim.
Here is the original design document created by the then 25-year-old Toulhoat. It was displayed back in 1997 as part of an exhibition held in Quimper's Musée Départemental Breton: Keraluc...50 Ans de Céramique Artistique à Quimper. Toulhoat came to design for Keraluc through another early participant, Yves Dehais, with whom he had previously worked at Yves Le Bihan's famed stained glass studio. Toulhoat's design envisioned his idea for a figural rooster in several forms; on the bottom of the document, it is additionally proposed as a knife rest and it was transformed into other functions as well, as a bottle, etc.
At one point...possibly originally...don't you just wish these things could talk ?...anyway, at one point...on really close examination, it looks like this one had been a lamp and a small cut had been made in the base for the cord. That has since been restored and is almost invisible. Other than that, it is...as the French would say "impec" (short for impeccable).
It dates from the late 1940s to 1950 or so and is signed with the early mark of the Keraluc pottery...evidenced by "près Quimper". This takes note that at that time the location of the Keraluc pottery was outside the existing Quimper city limits. This changed in 1960 with the annexation of certain neighborhoods.
The early signature of Pierre Toulhoat on the bottom of the candlestick.
Keraluc rooster candlestick...designed and painted by Pierre Toulhoat is $ 225. US plus $ 30. as a contribution towards insured shipping to a US address for a total of $ 255. US.
Note: For shipping to other destinations or any questions, please contact us at oldquimper@yahoo.com. (Be sure to check your email settings, because...being an email from France...we sometimes end up in your SPAM folder !)
Note: For shipping to other destinations or any questions, please contact us at oldquimper@yahoo.com. (Be sure to check your email settings, because...being an email from France...we sometimes end up in your SPAM folder !)
Signed AP...Arthur Porquier...Oil and Vinegar Service
Signed AP for Arthur Porquier, this oil and vinegar cruet set has a story to tell. Pieces signed AP are as scarce as hens' teeth and we were happy to have this cruet set to use in our book on Quimper pottery to illustrate the history of the Porquier factory.
We bought the set many, many years ago here...
...in the shadow of Quimper's Cathedral at the store called L' Art de Cornouaille...a must stop for every visitor to Quimper ! It is now run by Mikael Breton who is following in the footsteps of his father, Pierre. In earlier days, Quimper pottery was only sold at an outdoor market in the square in front of the Cathedral. Mikael's grandfather, Alphonse, was the first to sell it from a store.
L' Art de Cornouaille is amazing...housed in one of Quimper's half-timbered buildings...the historian Henri Belbeoc'h notes that the building dates from the 13th Century. At one time in its past, it was an inn for travelers. Today's visitors marvel at the front plastered with Quimper plates. Not to mention all the pottery inside !
L' Art de Cornouaille is amazing...housed in one of Quimper's half-timbered buildings...the historian Henri Belbeoc'h notes that the building dates from the 13th Century. At one time in its past, it was an inn for travelers. Today's visitors marvel at the front plastered with Quimper plates. Not to mention all the pottery inside !
Pierre Breton was a character...and could come across as a little gruff and a bit frightening to timid Americans. Entering the store, the merchandise was plentiful, but new. To be invited to peruse in his not-open-to-the-public, by-invitation-only basement filled with antique Quimper pieces was an honor that was coveted, but rarely bestowed.
Somehow, decades ago, we were invited by Pierre and this cruet set was among the pieces we bought. The French have a different sensibility about condition...I guess it comes from being surrounded by so much antiquity. Add to that, the fact that the basement was very dark and we were very excited. The cruet set consists of two bottles and a holder...the lids that it came with are not the original lids...those would have been in faïence. Pierre's basement was such a mumble jumble and I'm not good with the prospect of spiders that it was only when we were back in California that we realized that there were some condition issues as well.
But it's an unusual, early example and makes a wonderful "cabinet piece"...that is, for display only rather than for serving a salad !
And it has stayed on display in our cabinet for all this time, but a recent "rearrangement" has prompted us to offer it to a new home rather than squirrel it away in a box.
But it's an unusual, early example and makes a wonderful "cabinet piece"...that is, for display only rather than for serving a salad !
And it has stayed on display in our cabinet for all this time, but a recent "rearrangement" has prompted us to offer it to a new home rather than squirrel it away in a box.
Charming Breton peasants in traditional costumes decorate both sides.
Displaying the set with this side out shows it in the best condition...there's a glaze pop in the petit breton's hat and that's original to when it was made and definitely in keeping with its era of production...1894-1904.
Displaying the bottles with the other side out reveals the heavy craquelure to the glaze of the petit breton...it's not a crack...it's just to the glaze...
Another thing that went unnoticed is the repair to the handle of the stand...
The photos accentuate the condition, but there is no denying that there are issues.
Still, it's beautifully decorated with floral sprays...
...and a now-classic four-dot motif...
Both bottles are marked with the town where they were first sold...Tréguier...a small city of character in the Côtes-d'Armor département of Brittany.
Painted by the same artist, all three of the faïence pieces are signed with the entwined A and P for Arthur Porquier.
The set in the stand measures 8 inches wide, 7.5 inches high and 3.875 inches deep.
To be clear on the condition, heavy crackle on one of the cruets means it really only works from one side and even then the set is missing its original lids, there is a small chip to the rim of one cruet, some foot rim wear to one cruet, the handle of the stand was broken and glued back on and as well there are the usual skips and pops.
But here in its "match.com" photo, you can see that there's a lot of love left in the set...
Signed AP...Arthur Porquier oil and vinegar service is $135. US plus $ 40. as a contribution towards insured shipping to a US address for a total of $ 175. US.
Note: For shipping to other destinations or any questions, please contact us at oldquimper@yahoo.com. (Be sure to check your email settings, because...being an email from France...we sometimes end up in your SPAM folder !)
Note: For shipping to other destinations or any questions, please contact us at oldquimper@yahoo.com. (Be sure to check your email settings, because...being an email from France...we sometimes end up in your SPAM folder !)
Early Paul Fouillen Faïence Plate...Breton Serving Chouchen
As mentioned in this month's The Town, The People and The Pottery article, after Paul Fouillen left the HB factory in the latter part of the 1920s, he did not produce pottery. That would wait until the 1930s when he made arrangements to use the kiln at the Henriot factory to fire his first pieces. This is one of those pieces.
Encouraged by the success of his designs interpreted on other supports, he could now put his distinctive Bretons on faïence. On this plate, the Breton is carrying a tray with a bottle and small cups...probably for one of the regional specialties...chouchen, a liqueur made from sarrasin honey.
The central scene is bordered with a bold graphic design; the plate measures 9.675 inches in diameter and is in mint condition...just as it came out of Henriot's kiln in the early 1930s.
It is signed PFouillen within the central motif and Henriot Quimper on the back.
Early Paul Fouillen faïence plate...Breton serving chouchen is $ 145. US plus $ 35 . as a contribution towards insured shipping to a US address for a total of $ 180. US.
Note: For shipping to other destinations or any questions, please contact us at oldquimper@yahoo.com. (Be sure to check your email settings, because...being an email from France...we sometimes end up in your SPAM folder !)
Note: For shipping to other destinations or any questions, please contact us at oldquimper@yahoo.com. (Be sure to check your email settings, because...being an email from France...we sometimes end up in your SPAM folder !)
Adorable Petite Keraluc Vase...Jos Le Corre
Petite, but packing a lot of style for its small size...it's just 3 inches high and 3.75 inches wide...this vase is the work of Joseph "Jos" Le Corre ( 1925-1979 ). A delightfully-stylized scene of two green birds accented with splashes of yellow on one side and branches of ferns and red-centered green circles on the other. The neck of the vase has a band of red strokes against a yellow ground that is banded top and bottom with green stripes.
Le Corre studied at the Fine Arts Schools in both Paris and Quimper. He was a painter, poster designer, ceramist and eventually an art professor. After the end of World War II, he made a few pieces at the HB pottery, but management deemed them to be too time intensive and a relationship was not maintained. The freedom of expression offered by Victor Lucas and his Keraluc pottery appealed to Le Corre and their collaboration began in 1946.
Le Corre's pieces are characterized by their spontaneity...created freehand, they exhibit light, but sure, artistic strokes.
The vase is signed on the bottom with the embossed early Keraluc mark along with a hand-painted Le Corre signature and the number 4 and is in mint condition.
Adorable petite Keraluc vase...Jos Le Corre is $ 75. US plus $ 20. as a contribution towards insured shipping to a US address for a total of $ 95.US.
Note: For shipping to other destinations or any questions, please contact us at oldquimper@yahoo.com. (Be sure to check your email settings, because...being an email from France...we sometimes end up in your SPAM folder !)
Note: For shipping to other destinations or any questions, please contact us at oldquimper@yahoo.com. (Be sure to check your email settings, because...being an email from France...we sometimes end up in your SPAM folder !)
HB Quimper Circa 1900 Ruffled-Edge Petit Breton Plate
Crimping the edges like you would when making a pie crust gives a snazzy ruffle to the border of this early HB Quimper plate.
It measures 7.75 inches in diameter and the foot rim is pierced for hanging...denoting that it was always intended as a decorative piece of pottery...
Circa 1900, there is a restoration on the back of two of the "ruffles"...at around eight o'clock and nine o'clock...these do not show from the front. The front has some glaze pops consistent with its era of production and the blue sponging at seven o'clock looks to have been touched up...overall appearance is good...none of this takes away from its appearance !
The petit breton holds his pipe in a classic stance under a bird-filled sky.
HB Quimper circa 1900 ruffled-edge petit breton plate is $ 65. US plus $20. as a contribution towards insured shipping to a US address for a total of $ 85. US.
Note: For shipping to other destinations or any questions, please contact us at oldquimper@yahoo.com. (Be sure to check your email settings, because...being an email from France...we sometimes end up in your SPAM folder !)
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Circa 1890 Quimper Festonnée-form Petit Breton Plate
A delightful scallop-edged or festonnée-form plate decorated with all the wonderful colors of early Quimper pottery !
8.25 inches in diameter, the central motif features a handsome petit breton taking a stroll in the countryside.
8.25 inches in diameter, the central motif features a handsome petit breton taking a stroll in the countryside.
It is not signed, but documentation and examination of the method of production, form, décor and glaze colors permit an attribution to it being an Arthur Porquier or AP example...that is a piece from the Porquier pottery circa 1890 that does not feature a motif that was part of the agreement between the Porquier family and Alfred Beau.
The reddish clay that shows through and the three pernette marks to the back along with the blue tinge of the background glaze are further indications of Porquier production. Condition-wise, there are some glaze skips and pops that are customary with pieces of this era and large pontil marks and dust from the kiln on the reverse also in keeping with its era of production. There is some roughness to the edge at 10 o'clock and there is a small chip at 2 o'clock and another at 4 o'clock.
Circa 1890 Quimper festonnée-form petit breton plate is $ 75. US plus $30. as a contribution towards insured shipping to a US address for a total of $ 105. US.
Note: For shipping to other destinations or any questions, please contact us at oldquimper@yahoo.com. (Be sure to check your email settings, because...being an email from France...we sometimes end up in your SPAM folder !)
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Quimper Quadrillage Motif Plate...Last Half of the 19th Century
Dating from the last half of the 19th Century, this plate is a good example of the early days of Quimper faïence production and serves as a good illustration of the whims of a non-thermostatically-controlled kiln. Such a good example, it was featured in our book on Quimper pottery...on page 152.
Decorated with a classic early Quimper motif featuring a central daisy or marguerite and intersecting lines forming a quadrillage design, it was originally intended to have stronger reds and yellows, but the kilns were wood-fired back then and in this instance, the temperature was not maintained at the proper level for those colors to adhere to the surface. Only light traces where they were applied remain.
Decorated with a classic early Quimper motif featuring a central daisy or marguerite and intersecting lines forming a quadrillage design, it was originally intended to have stronger reds and yellows, but the kilns were wood-fired back then and in this instance, the temperature was not maintained at the proper level for those colors to adhere to the surface. Only light traces where they were applied remain.
Quimper faïence doesn't fade with time...it's all about the whims of the kiln when a piece was originally made !
Unsigned, guaranteed to be antique Quimper, it measures 9 inches in diameter. The back has the typical three marks from the use of pontils and some missing glaze on the top of the back edge that does not show from the front. Note the small hole at around seven o'clock of the center portion.
It blends in on the front to not be noticeable, but that's a hole that was used to hang it on the wall...they didn't have commercial plate hangers in those days ! There is an old restoration on the edge at nine o'clock, but considering its age, the plate is in really remarkable condition !
Quimper quadrillage motif plate...last half of the 19th Century is $ 125. US plus $ 30. as a contribution towards insured shipping to a US address for a total of $ 155. US.
Note: For shipping to other destinations or any questions, please contact us at oldquimper@yahoo.com. (Be sure to check your email settings, because...being an email from France...we sometimes end up in your SPAM folder !)
Note: For shipping to other destinations or any questions, please contact us at oldquimper@yahoo.com. (Be sure to check your email settings, because...being an email from France...we sometimes end up in your SPAM folder !)
Quimper Faïence Secouettes à Tabac
Small and uniquely different, Quimper secouettes are fun to collect, They were used by both men and women and were traditionally given as a token of affection or remembrance and often were used to commemorate an engagement to marry. Because of this, they remained cherished objects of daily life in Brittany. What's the difference between a tabatière and a secouette à tabac? A tabatiere is generally a box with a cover that lifts to allow access to pinch a bit of the processed tobacco. The secouette is a closed receptacle. It was carried with you throughout the day and reminded you of the loved one who gave it to you each and every time you used it. The content comes out of the opening by shaking the receptacle into the palm of your hand so that the snuff comes out between the thumb and the index finger. The term secouette comes from the French word for " to shake"...secouer.
They come in an array of shapes and sizes including the two shown below:
Heart-shaped Secouette...Petit Breton and Fleur de Lys
The quintessential shape for a love token...a heart-shaped secouette !
A debonair petit breton adorns one side...looking like a real rascal in his colorful red culottes.
Turn it over...
...and there's a large fleur de lys in the colors that represent desire and enthusiasm...
Unsigned, the form was first used by the Porquier pottery, but we have seen examples of heart secouettes signed by the HB factory, so while he certainly looks to be a Porquier petit breton...exactly which Quimper pottery cannot be said positively. Late 19th century-very early 20th century, condition is excellent...
No chips, cracks or dings.. rubbing to the glaze around the opening and as you can see in the photos, there are some glaze pops here and there and one area of thin glaze to the left of the petit breton. All normal for this era of production. It measures a generous 2.875 inches high, 2.375 inches wide and 1.375 inches deep.
Heart-shaped secouette...petit breton and fleur de lys is $150.US plus $25. as a contribution towards insured shipping to a US address for a total of $175.US.
Note: For shipping to other destinations or any questions, please contact us at oldquimper@yahoo.com. (Be sure to check your email settings, because...being an email from France...we sometimes end up in your SPAM folder !)
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HR Quimper Bottle-form Secouette...Petit Breton
With yellow gaiters accenting his sturdy legs, this petit breton hopes to serve as a remembrance of his human counterpart each time the bottle was shaken !
On the other side, a romantic bouquet of flowers enhances the message of affection.
It measures 3.5 inches high, 1.675 inches wide and .875 of an inch deep. As so often happens with pieces that were used several times a day...day in and day out...the glaze on the top and on the very bottom has been worn...
...there are the typical bloops and pops of this era of production and there is an area on the side where the glaze never adhered in the first place...
Marked underneath the petit breton "HR Quimper", it was made circa 1910. That's a lot of love and affection !
HR Quimper bottle-form secouette...petit breton is $145.US plus $25. as a contribution towards insured shipping to a US address for a total of $170.US.
Note: For shipping to other destinations or any questions, please contact us at oldquimper@yahoo.com. (Be sure to check your email settings, because...being an email from France...we sometimes end up in your SPAM folder !)
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Classic HR Quimper "Bluebird" Plate
Here's a plate with yellow and blue striped bands encircling the central motif of a bird...but not just any bird...it's a Quimper bird that is a glorious cobalt blue !
Which exact species is unknown, but we're leaning toward "the bluebird of happiness"...a symbol of the joy and happiness that awaits in your future.
It's a joyful and happy antique...made around 1900...and it measures 9.25 inches in diameter. Condition-wise...on the back...
...there are some areas where the glaze skipped or rubbed off on the very edge and two small chips to the back edge, along with evidence of pernettes...used to elevate pieces from the kiln floor...and the remnants of a label from an early collector or shop.
The front of the plate has some minuscule bits of glaze skips to the outer edge and a pop and a bloop in the border, but these are original to when it was made and none of it gets in the way of this colorful bluebird fulfilling its traditional role of being a harbinger of happiness, good health and prosperity !
Classic HR Quimper bluebird plate is $145.US plus $30. as a contribution towards insured shipping to a US address for a total of $175.US.
Note: For shipping to other destinations or any questions, please contact us at oldquimper@yahoo.com. (Be sure to check your email settings, because...being an email from France...we sometimes end up in your SPAM folder !)
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HB Quimper Fromager...Cheese Server
Like a lot of Quimper pieces, this one had a specific purpose...it was for serving those round cheeses for which the French are so famous...brie, colombier, brillat-saverin, camembert, etc. etc.
The slightly raised inner rim of the under plate does an excellent job of keeping the cheese in place while guests dig in.
Both the lid and the underplate are signed HB Quimper with the "morse code" signature of the artist and the number 221 indicating the form.
A petit breton wearing fancy red bragou-bras ( culottes ) adorns the lid...
...and fanciful flowers and foliage encircle its sides.
It measures 7 inches in diameter and stands 3 inches high. Condition-wise...only three minute glaze chips to the base keep it from being perfect...
HB Quimper fromager...cheese server is $ 45. US plus $ 30. as a contribution towards insured shipping to a US address for a total of $75. US.
Note: For shipping to other destinations or any questions, please contact us at oldquimper@yahoo.com. (Be sure to check your email settings, because...being an email from France...we sometimes end up in your SPAM folder !)
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Malicorne Puzzle Jug...Émile Tessier
In the nineteenth century, a Malicorne puzzle jug...known in France as pichet à secret, pot à surprise or pichet trompeur became virtually synonymous with pottery from that area of the Sarthe.
Originating as a tavern game, then appearing at royal banquets, the earliest example of a puzzle jug dates from the 14th century. The challenge is to drink or pour from a perforated vessel...a feat that appears to be impossible. The secret lies in knowing where and how to hold it.
Émile Tessier (1887-1971) worked at Léon Pouplard's Plat d'Etain factory in Malicorne before opening his own pottery in 1926. His was a life of passion and creativity when dealing with ceramics and in his later years, he founded the well-respected Malicorne pottery museum. Technically proficient and artistically talented, Tessier's glaze is famously smooth and lustrous and his modeling is superb.
Over the years, puzzle jugs were given as a love token and also became a popular gift for birthdays and bachelor parties. It's easy to see how connoisseurs of wine and other bon vivants can appreciate the beautiful modeling...
...of grapes and grapevines on this sophisticated example.
Vibrant colors and attention to detail give this piece additional appeal.
It will hold a healthy amount...measuring 8.5 inches high and 6.25 inches wide, including the handle...provided, of course, that the server can solve the puzzle.
Here's a visual hint.
As you can see from the photographs, it is in mint condition...one glaze pop and a couple of bits of kiln dust...all original to when it was made. It can be difficult to date Tessier production; the pottery was operational from 1926 to 1971 without definitive lines of demarcation as with dating Quimper. For this piece, the lustrous quality of the glaze most likely puts it in the later portion of production...definitely post World War II, so perhaps circa 1960 is a prudent call.
The Emile Tessier mark on the bottom.
Malicorne puzzle jug...Émile Tessier is $85.US plus $30. as a contribution towards insured shipping to a US address for a total of $115.US.
Note: For shipping to other destinations or any questions, please contact us at oldquimper@yahoo.com. (Be sure to check your email settings, because...being an email from France...we sometimes end up in your SPAM folder !)
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Keraluc...Jos Le Corre Pichet...Motif: Oiseaux Branché avec Fleurs
Jos Le Corre (born Joseph 1925-1979) studied at the École des Beaux-Arts...School of Fine Arts...in both Quimper and Paris. He was a painter, poster designer, ceramist and eventually art professor at his Quimper alma mater. After the end of World War II, when the Quimper potteries were restarting regular production, Le Corre made a few pieces of faïence at the HB pottery, but management deemed them to be too time intensive and the relationship did not flourish.
Enter Victor Lucas (1897-1958) and his innovative Keraluc pottery. The freedom of expression and artistic nurturing immediately appealed to Le Corre and he was one of the first to work at Keraluc...he was there at the beginning in 1946 and would soon after have his own, private studio within the pottery. His pieces are characterized by their spontaneity...created freehand, they exhibit light, but sure, artistic strokes.
Le Corre continued to use his studio within Keraluc to create his unique pieces until Lucas' death in 1958. This pichet...pitcher...is an example of his flirtation with the ancient process of engobe decoration.
It measures 6.875 inches, 5.5 inches wide including the handle and 4 inches wide not counting the handle...a generous size 4 as noted on the bottom:
The early Keraluc mark can be seen on the bottom, reading:
"Made in France Keraluc près Quimper".
"Made in France Keraluc près Quimper".
Detail views capture Le Corre's ease with the brush...
The pitcher is in mint condition...
Keraluc...Jos Le Corre pichet...motif: oiseaux branché avec fleurs is $165. US plus $30. as a contribution towards insured shipping to a US address for a total of $195.US.
Note: For shipping to other destinations or any questions, please contact us at oldquimper@yahoo.com. (Be sure to check your email settings, because...being an email from France...we sometimes end up in your SPAM folder !)
Note: For shipping to other destinations or any questions, please contact us at oldquimper@yahoo.com. (Be sure to check your email settings, because...being an email from France...we sometimes end up in your SPAM folder !)
Pair of Malicorne Shoes...Vases Muraux...Wall Pocket Vases
Not the dinky faïence shoe form that was used to hold salt, these Malicorne faïence shoes measure 4.75 inches long and 1.75 inches wide and were intended to be displayed as a wall decoration...either filled with flowers or not.
A closer look: first the petit breton...
There is a bit of glaze loss to the upper rim of the heel,...difficult to see amidst the stripes...and underneath the bottom "toe" there is a rub to the glaze; this is visible in the first photo, but doesn't show in this one.
The petite bretonne wall pocket is in perfect condition...and she is obviously the more industrious of the two.
He is shown standing nonchalantly with one hand on his waist and the other holding a branch while she is toting a water jug in one hand and a pile of laundry under the opposite arm. Hmmmmm.
Sprays of flowers and an insect or two surround the figures; each wall pocket has holes in the heel of the shoe for a hanging ribbon...allowing them to be displayed either together or separately. ( Or don't mount them on a wall and use them on a table for holding potpourri, etc. )
Each has the PBx mark of the Plat d'Etain pottery in Malicorne; they date from circa 1910.
Pair of Malicorne shoes...Vases Muraux is $55. US plus $20. as a contribution towards insured shipping to a US address for a total
of $75.US.
Note: For shipping to other destinations or any questions, please contact us at oldquimper@yahoo.com. (Be sure to check your email settings, because...being an email from France...we sometimes end up in your SPAM folder !)
of $75.US.
Note: For shipping to other destinations or any questions, please contact us at oldquimper@yahoo.com. (Be sure to check your email settings, because...being an email from France...we sometimes end up in your SPAM folder !)
Early 19th Century Cul Noir Calotte
Dating from 1840 or thereabouts, this calotte or shallow bowl has an à la touche geometric motif in tin-glazed faïence on the front side, while the reverse is covered in a manganese glaze. The original development of this process is attributed to Paul Caussy of Rouen. We can't decide for sure just where this piece originated...it was attributed to Quimper, however the glaze has a pink tinge and the clay is quite red...very reminiscent of Malicorne production. Decorated examples of cul noir, meaning black bottom, are too few and far between for us to be able to say for sure just where it originated. But we can say for sure that it is a great piece of vintage Country French faïence!
It measures 9.5 inches in diameter and is 1.675 inches high.
It is unsigned; there is an incised x on the reverse...this was often used to indicate that once the form as fired, it was to go to the studio to be painted...and beautifully painted it was!
Condition is fantastic considering age and the fact that these wares were designed for everyday use...no restorations or hairlines; just the customary crazing and some chips along the edges as you can see in the photograph.
It measures 9.5 inches in diameter and is 1.675 inches high.
It is unsigned; there is an incised x on the reverse...this was often used to indicate that once the form as fired, it was to go to the studio to be painted...and beautifully painted it was!
Condition is fantastic considering age and the fact that these wares were designed for everyday use...no restorations or hairlines; just the customary crazing and some chips along the edges as you can see in the photograph.
Early 19th Century cul noir calotte is $95.US plus $30. as a contribution towards insured shipping to a US address for a total of $125.US.
Note: For shipping to other destinations or any questions, please contact us at oldquimper@yahoo.com. (Be sure to check your email settings, because...being an email from France...we sometimes end up in your SPAM folder !)
Note: For shipping to other destinations or any questions, please contact us at oldquimper@yahoo.com. (Be sure to check your email settings, because...being an email from France...we sometimes end up in your SPAM folder !)
And finally...last, but not least...
Our Book...Quimper Pottery...a Guide to Origins, Styles and Values
Our Book...Quimper Pottery...a Guide to Origins, Styles and Values
Our book. It represents over ten years of mind-numbing research. It made my father proud and my sister jealous. This, of course, is a good thing! It was written because I'm ornery...can't be helped, it's a Celtic trait...and what was being said about Quimper pottery just did not jive with our first-hand knowledge of ceramics in general and Quimper pottery in particular. In our book, we reveal the history behind the distinctive Quimper designs and individually profile seven different Quimper pottery factories. Special focus is given to the painters and potters that created this delightful French art pottery and a virtual photo album traces its chronological development from 100 A.D. to today.
Hardbound, 224 pages, and with over 500 color photographs, it is both entertaining and informative, and was designed to truly function as a guide to Quimper pottery's origins, styles, and values. It will greatly enhance your enjoyment and understanding of Quimper pottery.
We are very proud of our book, but then that's to be expected. Here's a sampling of what others have had to say:
"Votre livre plaît beaucoup"
museum curator, Quimper, France
"Marvelous...
congratulations...your book has a great success in France"
antiquaire, Paris, France
"...I find the information very well presented and did not find any errors in the facts or otherwise"
Quimper faïencerie owner, Stonington, Connecticut
"...J'ai acheté votre livre...au Musée de la Faïence...Je l'ai trouvé en tous points remarquable et je vous adresse ainsi qu'a Mark toutes mes felicitations pour ce beau travail."
Quimper faïencerie owner, Quimper, France
"...love it...beautifully written...the technical information is surprisingly readable and I know that isn't easy."
Quimper pottery collector, USA
How to get your very own autographed copy? The price is $50. US plus shipping. Since discounted book rate shipping is available for some destinations, to purchase, please contact us at oldquimper@yahoo.com. (Be sure to check your email settings, because...being an email from France...we sometimes end up in your SPAM folder !)
Hardbound, 224 pages, and with over 500 color photographs, it is both entertaining and informative, and was designed to truly function as a guide to Quimper pottery's origins, styles, and values. It will greatly enhance your enjoyment and understanding of Quimper pottery.
We are very proud of our book, but then that's to be expected. Here's a sampling of what others have had to say:
"Votre livre plaît beaucoup"
museum curator, Quimper, France
"Marvelous...
congratulations...your book has a great success in France"
antiquaire, Paris, France
"...I find the information very well presented and did not find any errors in the facts or otherwise"
Quimper faïencerie owner, Stonington, Connecticut
"...J'ai acheté votre livre...au Musée de la Faïence...Je l'ai trouvé en tous points remarquable et je vous adresse ainsi qu'a Mark toutes mes felicitations pour ce beau travail."
Quimper faïencerie owner, Quimper, France
"...love it...beautifully written...the technical information is surprisingly readable and I know that isn't easy."
Quimper pottery collector, USA
How to get your very own autographed copy? The price is $50. US plus shipping. Since discounted book rate shipping is available for some destinations, to purchase, please contact us at oldquimper@yahoo.com. (Be sure to check your email settings, because...being an email from France...we sometimes end up in your SPAM folder !)
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That's our Shop in Your Slippers selection for this issue...if have any questions, please contact us at: oldquimper@yahoo.com. (Be sure to check your email settings, because...being an email from France...we sometimes end up in your SPAM folder !)