Cornucopia Flowerpots in Majolica Ceramic from Le Moustiers Manufacture, France, 18th Century, Set of 2

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Description of the object
a pair of large, cornucopia-shaped wall planters made of entirely hand-painted majolica, most likely produced around … Read more Description of the object
a pair of large, cornucopia-shaped wall planters made of entirely hand-painted majolica, most likely produced around the mid-19th century in the style of the famous 18th-century majolica from moustiers and bearing the red “ol” mark on the back, the initials of the workshop of joseph olerys and jean-baptiste laugier. The two cornucopias, mirror images of each other and designed to be hung facing one another, have a dynamic and dramatic shape: the body twists upon itself like a large horn of plenty and ends at the bottom with a curl, while at the top it opens into a wide mouth with a wavy rim. Above the mouth, modeled in relief, stands a fantastical creature drawn from the repertoire of grotesques: its head, with its wide-open jaws, is painted blue; a thick ochre mane falls over its shoulders; its torso is adorned with green volutes; and its clawed paws cling to the wall of the planter. On the front of each piece is a romantic scene set in a landscape of meadows, small trees, and blue clouds. On one corner, a couple in 18th-century attire plays blind man’s buff; the blindfolded lady advances with outstretched arms while the gentleman whispers in her ear. On the other piece, a young man in a straw hat and carrying a cane accompanies a young woman who is pointing at something in the sky. All around, garlands of flowers, small bouquets, and buds complete the decoration, executed in the typical moustiers color palette: yellow, ochre, green, blue, and manganese brown, outlined with a thin dark line. The reverse side is left in white glaze, with a recess for hanging behind the figure’s head, and on both pieces, the “ol” mark surmounted by a small arch, painted in orange-red. The mark echoes the one used by the olerys and laugier manufactory in the 18th century and recorded in ceramic mark registers, as can be seen in the last photo; the subject matter, the grotesques, the gallant scenes, and the color palette also fully correspond to their style. Due to their fame, moustiers majolica—along with their marks—was widely imitated throughout the 19th and 20th centuries by manufacturers who faithfully reproduced their models, decorations, and color palette. The warm, deeply craquelured glaze, the loose painting, and the small firing imperfections place these cornucopias among the finest 19th-century productions. The cornucopias are in excellent condition, with natural craquelure in the glaze—most evident on the reverse—minor firing imperfections, and a few slight chips along the rim.

information about the artist and/or manufacturer
moustiers-sainte-marie, a small village in haute-provence, was one of the most important centers of french majolica. Artistic production there began in the late 17th century with the clérissy family, who made the blue decorations—inspired by the engravings of jean berain—famous. In 1738, joseph olerys, having returned from a stay at the spanish factory in alcora, founded his own factory in moustiers, which his brother-in-law jean-baptiste laugier joined shortly thereafter. It was olerys himself who introduced high-fire polychrome decoration to moustiers, along with the motifs that became its hallmark: grotesques featuring fantastical figures, garlands of flowers, bunches of “potato flowers,” and scenes of courtly love and mythology, painted in a palette of yellows, greens, blues, and browns. The factory remained in operation until around 1790, and its works are now housed in major museums of decorative arts, starting with the musée de la faïence in moustiers. The success of this style was such that, throughout the 19th century, numerous french and italian factories adopted its forms, decorations, and marks, helping to keep alive one of europe’s most elegant ceramic traditions. This piece has an attribution mark,
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