SOLD Gorgeous Hand Painted JPL (Pouyat, Limoges) 13" Plaque/Charger, Luscious Ripening Grapes on the Vine, Artist M. Hunter Hill

Antiques : European Porcelain And Ceramics : Limoges

 
The rich, vibrant colors of this outstanding piece have been expertly painted with subtle shading and a masterful use of light and composition. I have seen enumerable porcelain paintings with grape themes, but so often a limited color palette and rough or unvaried brush techniques result in rather artificial-looking, flat bunches of grapes with generically shaped leaves. Here, the artist's use of color, depth and light has created fruit that looks so real, I know that if I bit into it, the juice would just squirt out. Even better, the grapes look as if they would make a great wine! Please see all of the closeup photos to appreciate the fine work on the leaves and tendrils and the lovely colors which set so well against the background wash which is done in graduated shades of creamy lavender, pale lemon, pale petal pink and soft peach. Happily, on this painting, there is a simple band of gold on the rim - sometimes when the rim is too ornate and has a wide, thick border of bright gold, one loses the naturalism of the composition. On this example, the eye is drawn inward to the vineyard closeup. A nice aspect of design is the approach to the composition - either as a combination of white and concord grapes or as grape bunches seen ripening in stages over time (from left to right) - wonderful! The artist signature is signed boldly and seems stylized and well practiced - likely a professional artist for a decorating studio. I have searched for "M. Hunter Hill" in all my reference books and at various websites devoted to works by early American porcelain painters, to no avail.

The charger is 13" in diameter and 1 1/2" deep. It has two pierced holes on the back for hanging and carries an green underglaze JPL (Jean Pouyat Limoges; Gaston's Mark #3) that dates from 1862-early 1900s. This extraordinary charger is in excellent condition with no chips, nicks, cracks or hairlines. I can find no discernible paint loss or gold wear/fading. The only flaw is that there are feathery light, stray surface scratches on the rim's gold trim. Please stop in again when you're traveling down Ruby Lane!

Item ID: RL3111
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