Thursday, April 4, 2013

Nearly a Nest Egg...

Continuing an Eastery theme, I have learned a bit more about the table service I picked up in a charity shop for the huge sum of 40€!
As you can see, this set with stencilled/hand painted hens, chicks and cockerels is quite large - it must have originally been a 12-place setting, with several sizes of lidded bowls, serving plates and fruit/cake stands on pedestals. A few are actually cracked. The platter has been used and used and used again. There are chips on one or two items. But the rest is in super condition, and we are now using the plates every day.
I turned the plates over one evening and started Googling the text on the base of each item. As you can imagine, it wasn't exactly easy given the curly-wurly writing, and the first thing I had to do was type in 'faience', which is the name for this kind of pottery. A great list of the faience manufacturers of France pointed me in the direction of Sarreguemines, which is apparantly what that stencilled writing says! It's one of those towns that kept switching between Germany and France in the nineteenth century, and remember that date, folks, because that's when this pottery mark was used!
I was pretty certain that the pottery must date from the 1930s-1950s, because nearly everything I buy does, and the design certainly isn't 'Victorian' to my mind - too simple and even faintly modern, I'd have thought. But I guess that it was based on the lovely hand-painted pottery of rural France (from Quimper in Brittany to Martres-Toulouse down here), and that its simplicity doesn't imply a recent date.
I called Ben to see the results of my research, and we began to get a bit worried, because what if I'd accidentally bought something that is too good to use and to put through the dishwasher?
Our final conculsion is that, although the set must add up to being worth quite a bit (a lidded bowl like the one above, whose lid I've put on the shelf above, could be worth about 90€), if we're careful with the big pieces, never use the cracked ones, and stack the plates carefully in the dishwasher, then I just happen to have bought us the best quality but also most useable table service that we will ever own!
It goes well with the other handpainted, Denby or Portmerion pottery that we have collected over the years, and we have ourselves a collection!

10 comments:

Fat Dormouse said...

I think your chicken crockery is lovely, and while I wouldn't have bought it (being a bit of a tight wad!) I'm glad you're going to use it, rather than "keep it safe"!

Janice said...

I must admit, I suspected it was an amazing bargain when you first posted about it... it is gorgeous. J

Serenata said...

It really is the most delightful set, and I am glad you are using it. I have decided things must be used...although nothing too valuable if DS2 is involved....finding yet another broken plate in his room today. Our 12 piece side plates are now down to two!

Lorrie said...

How wonderful to find out that your dishes have such a history. I'm glad you will still be using them. They are so pretty.

Carole said...

Sarreguemines is not far from where my parents live, and they have very good quality items ! When I saw the whole set I thought 40 euros is a bargain.

Elizabethd said...

It has got a look of Henriot pottery too.

Kezzie said...

It's gorgeous!!! I'd say, use it but be careful as you are!x

VintageVicki said...

It is rather gorgeous - can see why you were attracted to it :)

Much nicer to use it every day than just stash it in a cupboard for best!

Remind me of that saying when I move house - great plans for my china collection to get used rather than just displayed :)

Heloise said...

What a great find. Enjoy using it.

Kathy said...

Hi Floss, thanks for your comment over at my place.
I was at Edge Hill which was affiliated to Charlotte Mason, so we went up there once or twice.
I'm very jealous of your life in France. We get down to the Drome area most years with our caravan. It's just wonderful!
Kathy x