A Farmhouse in Quimper by Adela Meadows

At first glance, it may appear to you that Jean-Pierre is just sleeping…

...but in reality he’s practicing…

…and he’s a firm believer in the old adage...

...“practice makes perfect.”

You see, we’ll be leaving shortly for our July Brittany Shop ‘n’ Tour and J-P has proven to be a great traveler…all he does throughout the entire seven hour ride to Quimper is sleep!

He really enjoys going out to what we call ar feurm , which is Breton for “the farm.” That’s because our home-away-from-home while we are in Quimper had at one time been an outbuilding on a farm.

Now, it’s kind of a mini-farm with goats…

...allow me to introduce you to Charlotte.

There are also hens and chickens. Here’s an entire poultry family…

…and there are several roosters to make sure Mark gets up early.

One cock-a-doodle-do is usually enough...

...but, since Mark is not a morning person, it's always a good idea to have a snooze alarm.

Surrounded by wheat fields and corn crops...

... yet still within the city limits of Quimper!

Quimper pottery is no stranger to goats…

...a plate from the mid-1800s, attributed to either the Eloury or Porquier factory…

...or chickens…as in this chick-form egg-cup from the HB factory, circa 1925...

…or roosters…

…lots of roosters.... ...these first three are from the first half of the nineteenth century...in keeping with their era of production, they are unsigned and thus, cannot be attributed to a specific manufacturer, but they are definitely authentic, early Quimper!

A Porquier-Beau scene featuring a rooster merchant...

...in the midst of making a sale to a lovely young woman from Brest.

This rooster is obviously on an HR Quimper plate...

...and this barnyard fight is found on an HB plate from the 1920s.

A jaunty rooster adorns an Henriot Quimper saucière...for serving gravy...
...and an Henriot plate from the early thirties. It is the work of Jos Kervella (1915-1956) who, as a young art student, frequented the Henriot factory during his school holidays. His studies included courses at the school of fine arts in Brest where one of his professors was none other than Jim-Eugène Sévellec.

Another version of an Henriot Quimper rooster motif from circa 1930.

Mark has rather large feet...let me tell you it's not easy to find a size 14 wide in France...so this rooster was instantly appealing...it's from the Henriot factory, circa 1925...

...and this double salt is actually from Desvres, but it has such great colors, I couldn’t resist including it!

Centuries-ago, the property had been part of a much larger farm…and the Seigneur or Chatelain, meaning the Lord of the manor, lived in this house…

The original property remains a farm as well, only it is much larger and a true working farm. There, the animals of choice are cows…

...and more cows...
There are cows in Quimper pottery as well…

The 2006 exposition on the works of Louis-Henri Nicot (1878-1944) held at Quimper's Musée de la Faïence included this figural group entitled L'Homme au Veau.

In 1929, Mathurin Méheut created Fouesnantais à la Foire...

A shelf-full of treasures on display at the 1999 Mes Plus Beaux Quimper exhibit...on the far left is a Quimper faïence milk can signed Pol...

...it is attributed to Pol Thépot who worked for the Henriot factory from 1927 to 1939...

The earliest written documentation pertaining to the property that I have been able to find is dated 1326. An early well remains…its surround carved from a single block of granite…but, as you can imagine, there have been considerable changes, upgrades, and remodeling done over the centuries.

For example, if you look at the roof line in this photograph…

…you can see that the side wall on the top left is higher than the existing slate roof. That’s because previously, the roof was made of thatch. Thatch is still used in Brittany and has a longevity that is similar, if not superior, to other modern roofing materials…

…a chaumière...or Breton cottage with a thatch roof...today...

...and one depicted in the late nineteenth century by Paul Gauguin (1848-1903).

Here, a Breton thatch “factory”…

...a plot of land we came across where rush is collected and set aside to age.

And here’s a building with a thatch roof on a piece of Porquier-Beau that combines bits and pieces from several scènes bretonnes…a wedding couple, a christening, and a wine merchant!

The style of depicting buildings in the motifs painted on Quimper pottery came with the arrival from Nevers of Pierre Belleveaux (1704-1743). Here are some examples...

...the decorative motif on an eighteenth century Quimper inkstand...

...a manor house motif on a small coupe from the mid-nineteenth century...

...a plate from that era...

...and a 1920s pichet from the HB factory.

The Nevers influence is part of the wonderful mélange of styles that shaped the destiny of Quimper pottery. The motifs and techniques from the south of France were first put to use in Quimper on an industrial scale by the founder of the HB factory, Pierre Bousquet (1673-1749). They were later combined with those of Belleveaux from Nevers and then subsequently mixed with those of Rouen after the arrival of Pierre-Clément Caussy (1724-1782).

This blending of influences eventually led to Quimper’s own and unique style…a style that has endured through the ages…just like ar feurm.