An American, David Haviland, was an importer of French and English porcelains during the early to mid-1800's. In 1849 he moved his family to Limoges, France, to begin his own porcelain manufacturing and decorating factory and as a result, Haviland China, was born. Upon his death in 1879, his two sons split the company. Charles formed Haviland & Co., while Theodore formed Theodore Haviland. Charles Haviland produced this item.
This beautiful hand painted shallow bowl has a unique motif of a bird with speckled yellow breast and throat feathers perched on a grape vine among leaves and cluster of ripe grapes with flowering grasses growing beneath. The color pallet consists of greens, browns, yellows, purples and blues, against the white blank with gray tracery designed border applied in the factory decorating department.
The Haviland blank is called "Osier" and features four sections of embossed basket-weave design inserts on the outer rim. The shallow bowl/plate measures 8 3/8" across and 1 1/8" in depth. It carries the Haviland back-stamp mark D - "H & Co." over two lines, circa 1876-1886 and factory decorating mark g "Haviland & Co. Limoges" circa 1879-1889. The artist's initials are "E.C.F." There are no cracks, chips or repairs, near mint condition. An accompanying shallow bowl/plate by the same artist is also in my store.