Service for ??.......by Judy D

It used to be that you set your dinner table for guests with a matched service, the same pattern of china for every course and  matching cups and saucers for coffee after. Nowadays, it is the fashion to combine different patterns according to your own taste, and so complete services are much less popular and are harder to sell. A classic French dinner service used to include 24 dinner plates, 12 soup plates, 12 dessert plates, and assorted serving pieces; coffee services were separate, usually 12 cups and saucers, a coffeepot, a creamer and a sugar, and perhaps the matching serving tray. When classic Quimper services come up for auction, they can be a very good deal; there are also some unusual and special services that continue to be more expensive. Let's have a look at some services that were sold this past week at various auctions! (Note: prices noted are the gavel prices - the auction houses add a buyer's fee of about 19%.)

Here was an Henriot service from about 1930, classic Breton figures, classic borders. It included 36 dinner plates, 12 soup plates, 12 dessert plates, 3 round platters, a vegetable bowl, a salad bowl, 3 oval platters, a fish platter, two raviers, a double salt, a sauceboat, 3 footed compotes, and a soup tureen. Its gavel price was 550 euros. At the simplest calculation, that works out to less than 10 euros apiece ... my goodness!

This service, featuring the arms of Brittany and ermine tails,  was manufactured by Henriot around 1940. It included 10 dinner plates, 12 soup plates, 9 dessert plates, 2 round platters, 2 oval platters, 1 footed compote, 1 sauceboat, and 1 vegetable bowl. Its gavel price was 700 euros, not quite as much a the bargain as the previous service, but it has some historical value: this pattern is the one of the service that was offered to General Charles de Gaulle during one of his visits to Quimper.(If you are ever invited to dinner at the Préfecture in Quimper, they may set the table with the same pattern!)

Of course, this is oyster country here at Land's End, and Henriot manufactured a splendid oyster service in the early part of the 20th century, with three stacking platters for serving oysters and the sauceboat on top (for vinegar and chopped shallots). It is unusual enough to find the serving set intact, but this service was particularly outstanding because it also had 12 oyster plates with it. Its gavel price was 750 euros, and I hope somebody bought it to use!

The Quimper manufactures have produced a number of fish services, with different forms of platters and plates. This service was designed by Etienne Laget, the artist from Arles, and it was manufactured by Henriot around 1930. It included the fish platter (a form still produced today), the sauceboat with its langoustine handle, another fish serving piece that is like a tureen with a colander inside, and six plates. This is a very unusual service and it is not surprising that its gavel price was 700 euros.

And finally, this famous service by Mathurin Méheut, called the "Service de la Galette", which shows the various steps in making crêpes, including milking the cow, harvesting the wheat, gathering the eggs, mixing the batter, etc. - a complete service is one platter and 12 plates with different scenes. This one was 11 plates plus a damaged 12th plate and platter. Even so, the gavel price was 1600 euros.

I may have to take another look at what I'm setting my table with!

Judy.

I'm linking this great post of Judy's to Tam's 3 or More Tuesday meme. which she holds each week at the Gypsy's Corner. If you haven't yet sampled Tam's blog do pop in, you'll be so glad you took a look.

Breton Costumes! by Judy D

It is almost impossible to collect Quimper pottery without developing an appreciation for Breton (and other) costumes ... the figures on the various pieces serve as references for the costumes of different areas at different eras. So it is not surprising that the pièce de résistance at a pottery auction last weekend was a costume, and in fact, it was the costume whose details are on the cover of the catalogue for that sale.

As I noted in my previous blog, this costume is thought to be the oldest dated example of a Breton garment. It is black heavy felted wool, with red embroidery, including the buttons and dated 1811 - it would have been a special order for a well-off Breton. Costume collectors are as fierce faience collectors: the estimation fo the costume was 1200-1500 euros, but the bidding shot up to 5000 euros in pretty short order. At that point, there was a pause while an absent bidder was tracked down on the phone, after which the bidding climbed to the final gavel price of 6000 euros (to which a buyer's fee of 19% must be added!). This piece made yesterday's paper, including a comment from the auctioneer that the jacket will remain in France.

For all of its historical significance, the black jacket is extremely sober, too much so for my personal taste.

On the other hand, this bridal costume (of which the back is shown here) of Plogonnec (west of Quimper) from about 1880 is full of color and texture, including wool, ribbons, embroidered lace, and glass beads. It sold for 1500 euros, and it is stunning!

And how about this one for a little boy??

In wool, from the beginning of the 20th century, gavel price 300 euros.

During the exhibit, I asked the costume expert which one he personally preferred - he told me that it was this one:

He said he liked it because it was a complete costume of the wife of a craftsman of Quimperlé (east of Quimper), and it gives clues to the lifestyle of the wearer. One can see the social standing of the lady by the elegant touches on her dress. The color of the black is a bronzed shade that would have cost more money to dye. There is black velvet edging her pockets as well as her sleeves and the back of the top of the dress. The quality of the fabric is another indicator of her economic class, and the quality is such that over 100 years later, the costume is in excellent condition.

Actually, one thing that amazes me is how good the condition of many of the costumes were. Some were undoubtedly specially preserved by families (particularly wedding costumes, I would think), but even so, you have to start with a good product to be able to keep it good for 100+ years.

We're linking this post of Judy's to "A Few Of My Favourites Things Saturdays" meme held by Laurie each week, on her blog entitled: Bargain Hunting and Chatting with Laurie. I think Laurie has a soft spot for Quimper although we haven't yet persuaded her to join QCI.

Please go over and visit with her & tell her all the good reasons why she would enjoy our group.