Six antique faience plates — France, Creil et Montereau (6985)

SET:
Width: 20.5 cm

Width: 20.5 cm

Six antique “Creil et Montereau” faience plates

A Snapshot of Rural Life, Émile Zola: The writer sat at a heavy wooden table in a small provincial tavern, the air saturated with the aroma of cheap wine, freshly baked bread, and tobacco smoke. Outside, in the village square, a festive bustle was underway – bagpipes sounded, people laughed and danced, forgetting the hardships of everyday life. Zola observed this lively, noisy, and authentic theater of life with keen interest, his eyes capturing every comical facial expression and clumsy dance step.

The dinner plate before him seemed a direct window into what was happening outside the window. On it, in delicate black and white print, were depicted the same simple country folk – comical, exaggerated, and incredibly lively, enclosed by an elegant garland of green leaves. He smiled, realizing that the true soul of France was not in the gilded salons of Paris, but in this loud, unpretentious village festival joy, so masterfully captured on porcelain by local artisans.

This charming set of six plates was made in France in the late 19th century (around 1876–1884) at the renowned “Creil et Montereau” manufactory. The mark “B & Cie DÉPOSÉ CREIL ET MONTEREAU” on the reverse of the plates indicates the period under Louis-Martin Barliard. This manufactory was one of the most important producers of faience (faïence fine) or ironstone (ironstone), particularly famous for its high-quality transferware printing (transferware).

The plates belong to the entertaining series “Fête de Torboyaux la Piquette” (Torboyaux Festival). They are characterized by a beautiful, finely drawn green border adorned with garlands of flowers and village festival attributes, and a central black and white (grisaille) scene. Each plate depicts a different, humorous scene from a rural village festival – from the reading of announcements with drums to merry dances and carousels. In the 19th century, such plates served not only for eating but also as a source of conversation and laughter at the dinner table.

These plates are a wonderful decorative element. They can be used as an original and eye-catching wall decoration in a dining room or country-style kitchen, or displayed in a glass cabinet. The set is in excellent antique condition, commensurate with its more than 140 years of age. The faience has a natural network of age-related crazing (fine cracks in the glaze) and occasional light age spots (especially on the reverse of the plates), which add to their authentic antique charm and character without compromising their structural integrity. The condition of the item is fully reflected in the photographs.