Antique Faience Basket from France, circa 1900

A beautiful set of five blue and white Delft vases, this faience collection was hand-painted in Holland, circa 1900. The three bulbous vases are lidded, each with a finial depicting a rampant lion with a ball in its forepaws. Beneath the lion is a mottled background (on the front side only), with a foliate and floral margent. Each vase has the same scene painted on the front of the main body: a couple walking through a field surrounded by flowers. The opposite side has a floral rinceaux above a foliate branch. Painted in a similar fashion, the two concave vases are without lids. The side opposite from the cartouche of the couple has floral margents. All five vases have canted corners on the base. Inspired by Italian majolica, the faience produced in 16th century Holland...

A beautiful pair of hand-painted cobalt blue and white candle holders, these faience lions date to circa 1890. Based on production marks l...

Inspired by the movement of plants and flowers, Art Nouveau is a decorative style associated with art and architecture during the late 19th early 20th centuries. Sometime after 1900, the undulating lines associated with Art Nouveau began to disappear and were replaced by geometrical shapes. That places the crafting of this silvered bronze table...

This lovely French “service fumeur en faïence”, or earthenware smoking service, has five pieces: a tray, and four pots of various sizes. Although every smoking set is unique, we presume theses pots are a tobacco pot to store the dried leaves, an ash receptacle, a pot for holding papers to hand roll cigarettes and/or cigars and a pot for keeping matches. Our set was produced in Nevers, France in the 19th century by Montagnon, the oldest earthenware factory in France. Originally called manufacture du Bout du monde (“End of the World factory”), the factory was founded in 1648. By 1875, the factory had fallen on hard times and was bought by Antoine Montagnon. Within the five years, it was the only faïencerie left in Nevers. Montagnon was successful for over a century but eventually ceased operations in 2015. The production date of our smoking service set is from the late 1800s. Glazed earthenware was introduced from Italy to Nevers in the mid-16th century. The town already had existing porcelain factories and the area was flush with clay deposits that could be used in pottery. This allowed the influx of Italian potters in Nevers to begin producing Faience pieces. For the next 300 years, Nevers was the center for French Faience manufacturing. This smoking set has been decorated with painted birds, rinceaux of flowers and ornamental motifs. The blue background color is called Persian blue, and was extensively used as a ground color on Nevers Faience...

A 19th century French faience shaving bowl, hand-painted with blue flowers. Hairline crack.

A charming antique French faience Quimper double inkwell and pen tray desk set, circa 1900. This gorgeous inkwell is hand painted with a traditional Breton man surrounded by bagpipes...

French Rustic Faience Plate Circa 1900. Signed PB Auvergne.  

19th century French faience charger or plate with Gien mark.