Mid 20th-Century La Poterie Du Mesnil De Bavent Faience Glaze Over Terracotta Duck

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Excellent Pre-Owned Condition.

Did you know that the first pottery factory in Bavent was founded in 1842 by industrialist Maurice … Read more Excellent Pre-Owned Condition.

Did you know that the first pottery factory in Bavent was founded in 1842 by industrialist Maurice Comptet? Le Tuilerie du Mesnil de Bavent (tuilerie means tile), as it was named then, flourished by producing architectural tiles. In 1903, the business came to be owned by M. Aimé Jacquier whose brother, Francis, was the original creator of the many wonderful animal rooftop finial pottery ornaments for the creative side of the business. The time between before the outbreak of World War II was considered the golden age of the pottery but production slowed to almost nothing due to the German occupation in 1940. In June of 1944 the allies arrived on Normandy beaches. At one point, an ally headquarters and makeshift hospital were set up in the pottery. Victory came to the area in the middle of August but the village of Bavent was destroyed and the pottery buildings badly damaged. With hard work and perseverance, production at the pottery was able to restart in June 1945. By January 1946, tile production was up to 1000 tons per month, supporting the rebuilding of a liberated Normandy. The creative side of the pottery was maintained until the 1980s. But new ownership cared little for the expense involved to keep the creative side of the business going. The pottery’s tile production business went up for sale in 1987 with the creative side of the business to be abandoned. Fortunately for Le Tuilerie du Mesnil de Bavent and the villas of Normandy, a determined lady by the name of Martine Kay Mouat decided to buy the creative side of the pottery. She had been an apprentice at the pottery in the 1960s and understood perfectly what would be lost if the creative workshop closed. Her daughter, Dominique, joined in 1992 and still manages the pottery today.

This handsome fellow was crafted sometime in the mid 20th-century. He’s in excellent condition with minimal age-appropriate crazing and a couple of random glaze pops that occurred during firing (when air bubbles reached the surface of the glaze and burst) that are mostly indiscernible and in no way affect his beauty or utility. Measuring 9½” x 4½” x 5¼ 4” W/D/H; weight 1 lb. 3 oz.; medium is a faience glaze over terracotta; requisite makers mark is underneath within the base, handcrafted in France. That this type of art pottery was originally intended as a rooftop architectural ornament (for fun, see photo 12), in today’s modern times this handsome fellow will be more appropriate as a fabulous design element within a French Country, rustic European or modern farmhouse-style home.

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