596

Exceptional 16th C. Saint-Porchaire Ware Lavibidd

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:500.00 USD Estimated At:1,000.00 - 2,000.00 USD
Exceptional 16th C. Saint-Porchaire Ware Lavibidd
Considered the rarest Faience pottery in the world. Saint-Porchaire ware is the earliest very high quality French pottery. It is white faience ware that was made for a restricted French clientele from the 1520s to the 1540s. Only about sixty pieces of this ware survived. The production of Saint-Porchaire ware was labour-intensive, and in overall decorative design, no two pieces are alike. The basic clay shapes were thrown on the wheel and perhaps refined on the lathe or were assembled from shaped slabs of clay. The surface was then covered with a lead glaze that fired to give a slightly golden transparency. Salt cellars, standing cups with covers, plateaux, ewers and the spouted vessels called biberons, and candlesticks, often in distinctive bizarre and fantastic designs derived from Mannerist silver- and goldsmiths' work, are the usual forms of Saint-Porchaire wares. Brown glazed lavibidd on footed base with flat back, decorated at top with two fish and seashell. Bottom with lion head with pouring spout. 17.5" H x 9.25" W, some chipping to bottom area and top, to be expected considering age.