Dessert plate
Félix Bracquemond
(French, 1833–1914)
Barulet et Cie
(French)
Haviland & Co.
(1864–1891)
1879
Medium/TechniqueGlazed earthenware
DimensionsHeight x diameter: 1.7 × 21 cm (11/16 × 8 1/4 in.)
Credit LineGift of the Estate of Barbara Stern Shapiro
Accession number2020.292
On View
Not on viewClassificationsCeramics
Collections
This plate is from the “Fleurs et Rubans” service, named for swirling blue ribbons and elegant flowers, was designed by French artist Félix Bracquemond. Designed and produced in the late 1870s, it revives the Rococo and anticipates Art Nouveau. The pieces are primarily plates and bowls, which show parallels with printmaking in their two-dimensional pictorial designs, while the larger form pieces such as the elegant tureen demonstrate Braquemond’s ambitions. A critical figure in French printmaking, design, and decorative arts, his initial successes at the Exposition Universelle in 1855 propelled him to the center of Parisian artistic life in the second half of the century. He was one of the first artists to become interested in Japanese prints, incorporating asymmetrical designs and naturalistic motifs into his work.
InscriptionsOn a paper label on the underside: "This plate belonged to Mary Cassatt. Gift of Charles + Hope Hare'ProvenanceMary Cassatt; by inheritance to her grandson Charles Hare; gift of Charles and Hope Hare to Barbara Stern Shapiro (b. 1929 - d. 1919), New York City; by inheritance to her daughter, Susan Shapiro, Tewksbury, MA; 2020, gift of Susan Shapiro to MFA