BLUE has friends......................by Cerelle B

Blue with Red and White says "Homeland" to me, and to the French, "Patrie".

It brings forth feelings of Love of Country, as our flags and patriotic decorations are in this combination.

As we have recently seen in the World War I and World War II plates produced by Henriot, that combination of colors tells us to protect our country even before we read the rest of the message.

Click here and here to read more about these plates.

Let us all today remember and thank all of the men and women who fought to save our world and our freedom. We will not forget, and we salute you all on Veterans Day, November 11, 2009.
This faïence platter by Raymonde Pennanec'h shows the joy of the people on the day of liberation as they dance in the streets beyond the St. Corentin Cathedral in Quimper. (photo by Adela Meadows)


Blue with Yellow says Sea and Sunshine, and Sky and Sunflowers with their faces turned to the sun reflecting that yellow, cheery and happy...and is an oft used combination in the South of France.

This amusing jug with the fabulous flowers is by Delacourt...and the next, in the true intense sunlight yellow, is from Angouleme.


Blues with green says Peaceful and Cool, Meadows and Streams and fresh breezes.
These platters from Geo Martel say it all, do they not?



But blue has a special friend in the colors of Imari. Blue with the Rusty Red and sometimes highlighted with the glint of gold, are beloved and have been adopted in French Faïence.

Rouen, and later Desvres and other faïenceries including Quimper became enchanted with the combination. Many of the great chargers seen in museums are either blue and white or this great Imari inspired coloration, such as this one we saw at the museum in Rouen on our trip with the Quimper Club International in 2007.


I have a special old Imari charger that came to me from my grandmother. She was born in 1869, and I believe she received it no later than 1900. I imagine that it was already old then, but I do not know. It is another case of not being able to read the marks! My father always told me that it had been a gift to her that was brought back from Japan by a missionary friend. That too, was her proudly displayed treasure all her life long. Perhaps this love of hand painted ceramics is in the genes, do you think?




When I acquired two quite large Desvres chargers,
I found it very easy to display them with my Imari
plate and close to my de Porceleyne Fles Delft pieces.

They became immediate friends
and it pleases me to see them close together.


And well, you KNOW how one thing leads to another.

I love roosters, don't we all?
I once found this huge red glazed rooster, no mark at all, in an antique store in Springfield, Ohio...but he is wonderful and so he came home with us.

Then there was the Limoges tankard I saw in an antique store in Pasadena, California. It was SO beautifully painted in lovely reds and golds and some purples on the grapes...just a wonderful piece of art.

I DO NOT collect Limoges, I sternly told myself. But after we returned home, I weakened and wrote to the store and now here it sits among my Delft and my French faïence... my one example of Limoges, and he seems quite happy there, too.







It seems that so many styles of ceramics will be friendly, and the colors can make them very good companions.

I guess when it comes right down to it, my philosophy of collecting must be:
If you LOVE it, you LOVE it!