Small Majolica Purple Poppy Delphin Massier Fils, circa 1890

Rare Majolica lemons applique signed Delphin Massier, circa 1890. The Massier family produced several examples of wall decorations as animals, flowers more rarely fruits.

French Majolica dog wall pocket signed Delphin Massier. Height / 7.3 inches. The Massier are known for the quality of their unique enamels and paintings. The Massier family produced ...

Large French Majolica duck in flight wall pocket Delphin Massier, circa 1890. Height / 11.8 inches. Lenght / 15.5 inches. Depth / 6 inches.

Large French Majolica dog wall pocke Delphin Massier. Height / 8.5 inches. The Massier are known for the quality of their unique enamels and paintings. The Massier family produced di...

Pair of glazed ceramic flower vases by Delphin Massier, France, circa 1890.

George Jones Majolica plate which features a man carrying a women in the sea. Seashells surround. Colouration: brown, blue, pink, are predominant.

Pair of Glazed Ceramic butterflies planters by Delphin Massier. France, circa 1890. Signed Delphin Massier Vallauris. Art Nouveau period.

French Napoleon III majolica slip aperitive or dessert set by Jerome MASSIER, Vallauris, France, end of 19th century. 6 (2x3) plates : anemone, pansy and daisy - Diameter : 7.5"(19cm). 1 platter with the three same flowers - Height : 3"(7.5cm), Diameter : 13"(33cm). Platter and plates (except one) are intaglio stamped. "J.Massier Vallauris" (platter), "Jerome Massier Vallauris" (4 plates) "Jerome Massier Fils Vallauris AM" (1 plate). Excellent original condition (an original crack in the firing on a plate, see last photo). The Massiers’ work represents a link between traditional Victorian majolica and Art Nouveau pottery. There were three Massiers working in the second half of the nineteenth century, heirs to an old line of potters, who transformed traditional utilitarian ceramics into an art form. Their ancestors had worked for several centuries in Vallauris on the French Riviera, where, in the twentieth century, Pablo Picasso was reigning ceramic artist. Delphin Massier (1836 - 1907), and Clément (1845 -1917) were brothers. A cousin, Jérome (1850 – 1916) worked with them, using the signature « Jérome Massier fils ». By 1899 the family firm was divided into branches headed by these three men. In 1860 the Massiers began to produce their vibrantly colored majolica, perhaps inspired by the flowers of the Cote d’Azur. Clément was particularly interested in designs drawn from ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome, as well as from Renaissance maiolica...