MONTAGNON WEE ROUND PLATE- Nevers French Faience ART POTTERY Signed c1895 #5

This is a very rare and unusual antique Nevers MONTAGNON French Faience WEE ROUND CABINET PLATE. 

The subject matter on the French Faience MONTAGNON WEE ROUND CABINET PLATE includes a décor of four decorative elements including two well-dressed men each in colloquial period garb, including a jacket, pants, brimmed hat, and clogs; and two elegant chateaus. This decor is set amidst a scenic decorative landscape of a colorful field; in the background are trees and mountains.

The WEE ROUND CABINET PLATE has modeling, decorating, and glaze that are exceptionally well done with typical colors of antique Nevers pottery: creamy white background decorated with varying shades of blue, yellow, green, orange, brown, and magenta.

The border edge is formed with a dark blue rim edge. The underside bottom is glazed; the raised rim foot is unglazed.

The underside bottom has a makers’ mark: a large green ribbon bow in green glaze, stylized A. Montagnon in black, GM (for Gabriel Montagnon, (1899- 1937)), and 9; marks of old and original French Art Pottery. 

Dimensions:              1.0 in. Tall X 5.6 in. Wide X 5.6 in. Deep

Weight:                      5.9 Oz.

The estimated date is circa 1895.

This French antique Nevers French Faience MONTAGNON WEE ROUND CABINET PLATE is in very good condition. Condition status includes minimal normal wear and rubbing, glaze losses, firing flaws, crazing, and fretting. This item is sound, having no other chips, cracks, or major defects, and having had no apparent repairs or restorations. This item is sold as is, as described. Please see all photos which are a part of this description. Please note that this item is photographed in natural light; shadows that may appear as irregularities are not necessarily chips, cracks, or discoloration.

Nevers faience

Please note this faience item is from Nevers faience, not Quimper or Desvres. Though similar, there are different color palettes used and other nuances on the two potteries. Nevers faience manufacture was from central France in the area of the same name. The area was famous for superb art pottery known as faience; a pottery technique whereby tin glazes and decorations are applied over a modeled terra cotta or clay forms, and fired several times in a kiln.

The city of Nevers, Nièvre, now in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in central France, was a center for manufacturing faience, or tin-glazed earthenware pottery, between around 1580 and the early 19th century. Production then gradually died down to a single factory, before a revival in the 1880s.

Nevers faience was one of the centers where the istoriato style of Italian maiolica was transplanted in the 16th century, and flourished for longer than in Italy itself. In the 17th century Nevers was then a pioneer in imitating Asian ceramic styles in Europe, within some decades followed by all producers of fine wares. The second half of the 17th century was Nevers' finest period, with several styles being made at the same time, including a grandiose Italianate Court style.

By the time of the French Revolution Nevers wares had ceased to be fashionable and expensive, but the crudely painted faience patriotiques wares commenting on political events have great interest and charm. A late 19th-century revival concentrated on high-quality revivalist wares recreating past glories. In 1838, 700 workers were reported to be employed, but by 1846 only six factories remained, and by 1850 five.

By 1875 its fortunes had reached a low ebb, and it was bought by Antoine Montagnon, who had ambitious plans to relaunch it to supply the market for revivalist wares imitating 17th-century pieces, often large and complex pieces. By 1881 it was the only factory left in Nevers. The Montagnon factory (faïencerie) was successful for over a century, with 50 employees around 1900, and its wares exhibited at international exhibitions, but the factory, by then the oldest in France, finally closed in 2015. In 2020, two factories remained in production, both making traditional styles.

Selling my personal collection of antiques: porcelain and pottery including French Faience, fine old nutcrackers and carvings, other objets d’Arte; interested to sell one at a time, or as a group in a collection. All inquiries welcome. Please bookmark this work; Listing Category and List Price are subject to change.

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