Two of the most famous paintings of 19th-century French painting, reproduced on faience with remarkable finesse. These two decorative plates each feature at their center a scene taken from the work of Jean-François Millet. The first reproduces The Gleaners, painted in 1857, where three peasant women bend over the stubble of a harvested field, in the warm, golden light of summer. The second depicts The Angelus, that peasant couple who pause in the middle of the furrows to pray, hat in hand, in the silence of the falling evening. Both scenes are reproduced in chromolithography on white faience, with a warm and nuanced palette that faithfully recreates the atmosphere of the originals. The rendering of the characters, landscapes, and light attests to a meticulous transfer printing technique, characteristic of late 19th-century productions. The wide, plain, and shiny burgundy rim frames each scene with a simplicity that perfectly highlights the delicacy of the central decoration. It shows the natural signs of wear of an old piece, accurately photographed. The reverse bears a white embossed stamp, partially legible, characteristic of French manufacturers of the period. Diameter approximately 26 cm. These plates belong to that category of items where tableware becomes a medium for popular art. In the late 19th century, major French manufacturers thus disseminated into homes the masterpieces of the Louvre and the Salon, allowing everyone to live daily with the images that embody the glory of national painting. Hung on the wall, placed on a display stand, or integrated into a composition of antique faience, they bring that soft and literary atmosphere of French interiors of yesteryear.
Additional details:
- Colour: Bordeaux
- Period: Fin XIXe siècle