Sometimes, just a few flowers and two colors are enough to recognize an entire era. This pair of deep plates belongs to the Niger model by Céranord, a manufacturer from Northern France whose productions accompanied the evolution of tableware during the first half of the 20th century. Here we are in that happy interwar period when domestic decor gradually abandoned the heavy floral compositions inherited from the 19th century to adopt a much more modern language. On an ivory earthenware background, Céranord features a thin, deliberately interrupted, burgundy red line, around which stylized flowers appear. The deep red of the corollas meets a rich blue used for the leaves and stems. The design is seemingly simple, yet remarkably balanced. The bouquets no longer aim to faithfully reproduce nature. They simplify it, give it rhythm, and transform it into a decorative motif. It is precisely this way of treating the flower that so beautifully links the Niger service to the Art Deco aesthetic of the 1930s. And these plates also tell a more intimate story: that of the everyday French table. They were not designed as precious objects meant to remain behind cabinet doors. They belonged to that beautiful dinnerware that was truly brought out, used, and that passed through the years at the rhythm of family meals. Almost a century later, finding two deep plates from the same service reunited gives them a special charm. Their diameter of approximately 23 cm maintains their full utility today, but their design also allows them to join a collection of French earthenware or a table composed of mismatched antique pieces. Time has left some traces of use and a soft patina on the earthenware, without erasing what constitutes their full charm. The design is still there, vivid, immediately recognizable, with that wonderful harmony of blue and burgundy. Two witnesses of an era when even everyday plates were entitled to their own design. Céranord, Niger model. France, circa 1930s. Diameter approx. 23 cm.
Additional details:
- Brand: Céranord
- Material: Faïence
- Colour: bordeaux
- Colour: ivoire
- Period: années 1930