The Town, The People and The Pottery
Volume 20 Number 2/3
July/August 2018
July/August 2018
The western-most part of the continent of Europe, this is a 1683 map of Brittany. Quimper is located to the left of center, above a small island and noted with its name at that time...Quimper-Corentin.
Quimper...pronounced "kem-pair"...is a town in northwestern France. It is also a people and a pottery.
To the people of Quimper, the town name is Kemper, which in their language describes a confluence of rivers. ("Quimper" is a somewhat nonsensical rendition as not all the Breton dialects have a "Q" and a true French pronunciation would be different from the actual "kem-pair"). At any rate, "confluence of rivers" is an apt description, as the town is situated at the juncture of two rivers, the Odet and the Steir. Two other rivers, the Jet and the Frout, are close-by, but travel underground through the town limits. Historically, this close proximity to rivers meant an ideal place to establish a pottery factory and thus, Quimper has been a pottery town for centuries. Its "recent" history of continuous pottery production begins in 1708. (Previous accounts put the date as 1690, but history is not written in stone and recent findings have provided further information).
By the last decade of the nineteenth century, three pottery factories were operating in the town of Quimper. One was the Porquier factory, another was known as the Grande Maison or De la Hubaudière factory, and the third, owned by Jules Henriot, was called the Faïencerie d’Art Breton. Tin-glazed earthenware, known in France as faïence, was a popular product, especially pieces that were hand-painted with scenes depicting life in the region of Brittany.
The making of faïence is an art. Especially in the early days, prior to the introduction of more modern methods, when both the technical and artistic skills necessary to make a piece of faïence were quite daunting. Extremely difficult to master its making, I've been known to liken faïence to being the "puff pastry" of pottery production.
The use of an opaque tin glaze is one factor that distinguishes faïence from other types of pottery...pieces made by this process were known as faïence in France, Spain, Germany, and Austria; in the Netherlands, they were called Delft; in England, the term was Delftware; and in Renaissance Italy, such pieces were called maiolica...not to be confused with majolica, that's actually a trade name of the Minton pottery in England for a Victorian-era product made using substantially different glazes and production methods.
The tradition of Quimper faïence production continues today. But much like the comparison of a Model T with a current Ford Motor Company product, today’s Quimper is very different from vintage Quimper. In many fields of collecting there is a line of demarcation; for Quimper pottery that line is World War II. Modern techniques and machinery introduced in the days after World War II resulted in the creation of a different product. Vintage Quimper refers to pieces made prior to that time period; later production falls into the collectible genre.
Here at www.oldquimper.com, we specialize in vintage Quimper and invite you to come along as we further explore old Quimper...The Town, The People, and The Pottery. If you've just joined us, since 1999 we've been using these pages to extol upon the beauty and intrigue of vintage Quimper pottery and, at the same time, do some "traveling"...and, indeed, over the years, we have visited some of the most picturesque towns of Brittany...each one delightfully different.
Each month, this depiction of King Gradlon by Quimper-born artist Pierre Toulhoat (1923-2014) will herald in a new article about Quimper...The Town, The People and The Pottery.
With this issue of www.oldquimper.com, we'll be continuing a series of articles designed to provide a primer on the history of Quimper...a sort of abridged and updated version of the story behind The Town, The People and The Pottery. We hope to educate collectors...correcting some long-standing and stubborn misinformation...so that fans of Quimper pottery will become more comfortable with the notion that history is not written in stone and that our knowledge of it can indeed change.
Reminder: in many instances, clicking on the photos will lead to a larger image and please take note that the names and dates that follow are probably entirely different from what you hear or read from various sources. This is an updated and corrected history of Quimper pottery and serves as a good illustration of how styles and techniques from Provence, Nevers and Rouen came together to create the enduring fascination that is Quimper pottery!
With this issue of www.oldquimper.com, we'll be continuing a series of articles designed to provide a primer on the history of Quimper...a sort of abridged and updated version of the story behind The Town, The People and The Pottery. We hope to educate collectors...correcting some long-standing and stubborn misinformation...so that fans of Quimper pottery will become more comfortable with the notion that history is not written in stone and that our knowledge of it can indeed change.
Reminder: in many instances, clicking on the photos will lead to a larger image and please take note that the names and dates that follow are probably entirely different from what you hear or read from various sources. This is an updated and corrected history of Quimper pottery and serves as a good illustration of how styles and techniques from Provence, Nevers and Rouen came together to create the enduring fascination that is Quimper pottery!
In case you just joined our on-going discussion of the history of Quimper pottery…we've made our way from 1708 through the French Revolution, the beginnings of local competition in the marketplace and most of the 19th century…and hopefully regular readers have been able to make sense out of a history that includes a trio of Pierres and a couple of Marie-Jeannes and Guillaumes.
In our last issue, we had reviewed the circa 1865 beginnings of the petit breton motifs. Here's an early example of what would arguably become one of the most emblematic symbols of Quimper:
(Regular readers will remember that no one has been able to determine which of the two potteries producing decorative faïence in Quimper back in the 1860s was actually responsible for the first appearance of the petit breton).
We begin this issue in the 1880s and we find the HB pottery is run by a woman. How that came about has much to do with death and taxes, but Alix Léonie Malherbe de la Bouêxière proved to be a woman of substance.
Going back a bit to the 1870s, we find one Felix de la Hubaudière...a widowed banker...who, being the grandson of Antoine de la Hubaudière...the "H" of "HB"... is all too familiar with French inheritance laws and, as a consequence, has a part interest in the pottery that had been founded in 1708. Actually, by this time the firm was divided into a number of parts with various people having various percentages of ownership. Felix serves as the director of the pottery, but, being occupied with his banking business, he left the day to day operations to Théophile Fougueray who also had a part interest. Enter Alix...originally from Normandy, she moved to Quimper to be closer to her sister who had married Ferdinand de la Hubaudière, another part owner. And it just so happens that her neighbor in Quimper is Felix…and long story short, they were married in 1877.
We don't have photographs of the couple...but we do have their likenesses...painted on a glorious faïence fireplace surround that was discovered in 1988. The piece is not dated, but it is signed...although even without being signed, it is clearly the work of Henry Guihéneuc. We showed you some of the results of Guihéneuc's collaboration with the HB pottery last month. Not an employee in the true sense, he was a friend of the family who produced spectacular examples...often intended as a show piece for a prestigious exhibition. The fireplace surround is believed to have been a wedding present for Felix and Alix.
This photo was taken when the three pieces that make up the surround were behind glass as part of an exhibit at the Musée de la Faïence in 1999. Cameras then not what they are today, it's not the best image, but it will give you an idea of how wonderful the ensemble is. Here's a closer look at the faïence portraits of Alix and Felix.:
The violin that is seen at the bottom center of the overall view is also the work of Guihéneuc, but the figure of a lion was made by Adolphe Masson, who is said to have worked at the pottery as an assistant to Fougeray from 1866 to 1877. Masson enjoyed an excellent reputation for his camaïeu blue pieces...where the decorative motif consisted solely of variations of blue...one of the most difficult techniques to master. But Masson was also quite talented when working in polychrome as evidenced by this HB fountain in the form of a castle.
In last month's issue, we related that Fougeray had discovered the old poncifs brought to Quimper by Pierre-Clément Caussy and put them to use in order to better capitalize on the prevailing fashion known as Renaissance Revival. At that time, the factory produced many elaborate pieces based on Caussy's Rouen designs...some tweaked to become armorials for the newly rich industrialists seeking a bit of stature.
Further examples produced during this time period:
An elaborate platter featuring a type of dragon called a guivre; the motif was based on a design that originated in ancient China. Because the motif was used by other French potteries and to not have the piece be confused with older pieces, Fougeray instituted a marking system. The mark shown is commonly called "first mark HB".
Other first mark HB pieces...this time featuring less fanciful flora and fauna:
In 1880, Alix and Felix have a son, Guy de la Hubaudière, but Felix dies just one year later, meaning that both the banking interests and the pottery are once more subjected to inheritance taxes. A complicated process, everything must now be put for sale…although throughout this process, pottery production continued as a means to satisfy outstanding debts. Eventually, Alix is able to settle the estate and becomes the owner of the pottery. She moves into the factory premises and while living there with young Guy, she fires Fougeray and reevaluates production. She sets about streamlining existing procedures and acquiring further assets and equipment. The pottery flourishes under her helm. To mark this new venture and to officially put her stamp on everything, a new mark is registered.
Commonly referred to as "second mark HB", the paraphe or flourishing tail coming off of the "B" is no longer.
Remember that like the decorative part of the pottery, the mark is also hand-painted, so there will be variations and no two will be exactly alike. The basic distinction between the two eras of marking is that now the letters are more block style and the absence of the flourish.
With the new marking system in place, the HB pottery continues to produce utilitarian pieces and a fair share of the production consists of figures of saints...both modest and elaborate:
With the new marking system in place, the HB pottery continues to produce utilitarian pieces and a fair share of the production consists of figures of saints...both modest and elaborate:
Alix also expands the scope of the production of decorative pieces...
Finely executed vases in a style known as "old Marseille"
A sphinx entitled La Jurisprudence; one of a pair, the other is entitled La Doctrine
...and under Alix, the HB pottery responds to the market's increasing demand for the petit breton motif...
During her tenure, Alix continued HB's tradition of collaborating with artists eager to try their hand at faïence...the next two pieces were made following designs prepared by Breton artist Jean-Edouard Dargent...
Both pieces date from around 1890.
The HB factory also began to take note of current events and produced pieces that reflected the mood of the people...
These three plates have motifs alluding to the popular sentiment of the day regarding the exile of French writer Emile Zola...1898-1899.
The end of a century seems like a good place to close for this issue. Reminder that this is our annual double issue for July/August.
We'll be back in September with J-P's report of our adventures in Brittany.
In the meantime, we got word of a collection of vintage Quimper pottery for sale...the result of some forty years of collecting...not an easy task in those pre-internet days! I have not seen the pieces in person, but going by the photographs, there are some interesting and unusual items as well as pieces that will give you a head start on your own collection. We have absolutely no financial interest in the pieces...just trying to help someone see that their beloved Quimper goes to a good home. If you have an interest, please let me know and I'll pass your contact information onto the owner.
We'll be back in September with J-P's report of our adventures in Brittany.
In the meantime, we got word of a collection of vintage Quimper pottery for sale...the result of some forty years of collecting...not an easy task in those pre-internet days! I have not seen the pieces in person, but going by the photographs, there are some interesting and unusual items as well as pieces that will give you a head start on your own collection. We have absolutely no financial interest in the pieces...just trying to help someone see that their beloved Quimper goes to a good home. If you have an interest, please let me know and I'll pass your contact information onto the owner.
Tea for Two, ink stand, chamber stick, figural salt and pepper, etc.
A variety of plate styles...each one different!
Oyster plate, fleur de lys ink well, camel cigarette holder, mistletoe butter....
Swan and figural double salts, croisillé cruet set, Mayflower motif, etc.
Very decorative pieces!
That's it for this issue...our exploration of Brittany...its towns, its people and its pottery...will continue in our next webisode. We publish a new issue on or about the first of each month. If you would like an email reminder when a new issue comes out, please contact us at oldquimper@yahoo.com.
Calendar note:
Set your sights on the special exhibition presented by Quimper's Museum of Faïence that features a champion of Breton art, Jeanne Malivel (1895-1926).
Set your sights on the special exhibition presented by Quimper's Museum of Faïence that features a champion of Breton art, Jeanne Malivel (1895-1926).
Paintings, drawings, furniture, ceramics and more! Jeanne Malivel was incredibly passionate about the history and culture of Brittany and was a founder of the Seiz Breur Art Movement. Throughout her unfortunately short career, she sought to elevate Breton Art to new and more modern levels. The exhibition is now open to the public and runs through September 29, 2018.