Sarreguemines Majolica Seaweed and Shell Oyster Plate

Circa 1920 | France

A highly coveted and collected antique French majolica oyster plate by Sarreguemines (see The Gen). Beautifully modelled and coloured in light blush brown, blues and greens with six oyster shaped wells around a central well. An oyster plate as popular today as it was when it was first made (see The Gen).

DIMENSIONS: Diameter 22.5 cm.

SIGNATURES, MARKINGS & INSCRIPTIONS: Marked Sarreguemines France, impressed 2209 BG.

CONDITION: The plate is in excellent condition with wear consistent with an antique age and use. There is some crazing which is expected for a plate of this age. There is no evident restoration.

REFERENCES: For an example of a similar plate see Majolica: American & European Wares, Jeffrey B. Snyder, Schiffer Publishing Company, 1994, p. 12 and Oyster Plates, Vivian & Jim Karsnitz, Schiffer Publishing Limited, 1993, p. 42.

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THE GEN

A small pottery was established in Sarreguemines in 1778. “In the early 1860s Sarreguemines added majolica to its production. Sarreguemines majolica was brilliantly glazed and spectacular.” (Majolica: A Complete History and Illustrated Survey, Marilyn G. Karmason with Joan B. Stacke, Harry N. Abrams Inc., 1989, p. 180)

“Majolica wares also offer us today a glimpse into the fascinations, humors, and culinary delights of the Victorian era. The increasingly varied Victorian diet is well represented in majolica dish forms. The passion for oysters, for example, more readily available at the market place with improvements in transportation technology, is evident in majolica oyster plates fashioned as replicas of the food itself. For a Victorian diner eating from majolica, if the food was unidentifiable, the dish could reveal in no uncertain terms what was set upon it.” (Majolica: American and European Wares, Jeffrey B. Snyder, Schiffer Publishing Company, 1994, p. 8)

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