Getty Museum

Plate

Date

about 1740–1760

Medium

Tin-glazed earthenware

Culture

French

Department

Decorative Arts

Institution

Getty Museum

The whimsical decorations that cover the surface of this large plate are known as grotesques. The feathered warrior about to shoot a fantastic bird, the savage with his bow and arrow beside an ostrich, and the violin player are all common motifs found on faience, tin-glazed earthenware, produced in Moustiers. The figures stand on small patches of ground arranged in horizontal tiers, surrounded by hybrid animals, insects, and birds. In the vegetation around the edges, botanists today have recognized flowers that are common in the south of France, where the factory was located. This plate is a product of the Olerys Manufactory located in Moustiers and founded by Joseph Olerys in 1739. The palette of painted enamel decoration--violet, green, and orange-yellow in color--shows the influence of Spanish painted earthenware, which Olerys brought to Moustiers following a trip to Alcora, Spain.

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