(2) Pate~Sur~Pate Limoges Plaques ~ Artist Signed ~ Mint ca. 1900

Antiques : Limoges,Pate Sur Pate,Sevres,China,European,Paste On Paste,French Art

 

A very rare exquisite,matching set of Limoges Pate~Sur~Pate ,Antique French Limoges Plaques~marked not only on the back with two limoges marks but signed by the artist as well on the front in gold..... each is in excellent to mint condition....this dates ca. 1900

Each is 5 1/2" x 5 " and decorated in white with a sevres blue background....each scene is a delicate,graceful work of art depicting a woman and child,hints of scalloped edging and accents of gold coin trim...this pair is a true treasure in every sense.....

This technique was introduced in France, at Sevres and later by the artists' at Limoges, as Limoges served as a "Branch of Sevres" by order of the King of France in 1784.

Pate-sur-Pate has always been extremely expensive to produce and therefore very,very rare....and then to find two matching limoges plaques in pristine condition like these two.....is beyond rare ~

It took artisans great skill and time to execute pieces of this incredible beauty..thus very few were made, so to have found this exquisite pair is astonishing, they are in mint condition.

Pate Sur Pate , paste on paste ,comparable to the quality of Meissen. The process of Pate Sur Pate is extremely difficult, expensive....and requires a very gifted artist to successfully complete each intricate,time consuming,detailed step....

**A bit of history ~ The green, or unfired, porcelain body to be decorated would be allowed to thoroughly dry out before being coated with a metallic oxide ground colouring. This could be in almost any shade but usually would be a dark green, severes blue or black. The depth of colour in this ground was crucial to the success of the finished Pate sur Pate ‘cameo’. When this ground layer was also totally dry the first thin wash of porcelain slip would be brushed on. A truly skilled artist would not need sketched outlines or plans, it would be painted on straight from his mind.

Then, when totally dry, another layer of slip would be applied to build the picture up. A picture may take thirty or more layers of slip to build up the required depth and the time involved in this was one of the major reasons why it was so expensive. This drying period was critical. If any layer retained moisture the eventual work could be dulled and spoilt and would often lead to flaking or ‘de-laminating’ in the firing. The failure rate was much higher than for any other form of decoration. The Pate sur Pate artist needed to be an expert and very delicate carver as well. Once the picture was built up to the required maximum thickness sharp knives would be used to insert the fine detail and sharp edging. Wet brushes were used to soften edges where appropriate and scrapers reduced the layers where required until patterns of light and shade were built up in the successive layers. The darkest areas had to be taken right back to the enamelled body. No other method could compare with the intricacy or delicacy of this technique,

**The Nebraska Historical Society has a lovely piece of Limoges Pate sur Pate with a different design signed by this same artist ~

Item ID: R0824