I Never Saw a Purple Cow.....by Cerelle B

I Never Saw a Purple Cow, I Never Hope to See One..
But if She Were a Faïence Cow, I Would Think I Need One!

 I don't know what it is about cows that appeals to me so.
I have never lived on a farm. I have had no experience of "knowing a cow" .
But the sight of them grazing brings a feeling of quiet peace, and somehow a painting of this scene does the same.

And so, I have collected cows, and even one bull...but then, you wouldn't want the ladies to be lonely!
Pijnacker style using the Imari color palette.




Probably the favorite of all of my cows is this softly painted, doe-eyed 'Bossy' carrying a load of cups for the drink which she supposedly dispenses. I am guessing she was made in Desvres, though her only marking is a banner with "La Bourboule" spread on the grass under her feet. This would place her as a souvenir from a visit to that town in the Auvergne.




If she were labeled Desvres, I would have expected her to hold Calvados, that most wicked of applejack brandies which burns the "Normandy hole" upon drinking, but I do not know what they drink in the Auvergne. Knowing they grow apples, it may be a similar distillation, but as I read more about pommes de terre, it may not be made of apples but of potatoes.
Nevertheless, she is just so sweet, and I find it totally amusing to see a metal spigot next to her natural ones!


And finally, a whimsy...
This is a cow advertising for Montreal Casein Co. Ltd and she is ablaze with poppies and wheat and other field flowers..and surely has a French look to her.


She is not faïence, nor is she French..but I simply couldn't resist! I just KNOW what I like, and I like cows!


The real reason I got him is that he was just so beautifully modeled by Professor Max Heilmaier of the Paul Mueller Company in Selb, Bavaria.
So he is not exactly faïence and he is not French, but he is just so fine!

I have Delft plates from de Porceleyne Fles, and one of them features a scene of cows grazing, The detail from that plate is above.

Here is my treasured tableau by Michel Bouquet which is painted on a large faïence plaque and framed like a painting. This again has the peaceful scene of cows grazing.


There are the little critters, too.
This charmer is a cow with a young boy, and this was found at our members sale at one of our meetings. I believe it to be from Desvres, and in the Delft style.


Here is my rather big Delft blue and white floral painted cow from de Porceleyne Fles which Bill discovered for me, and a small calf from there which is painted in the