19thC Jules Vieillard 'Moustiers' French terre de fer antique dinner service, 10 place setting 39pc set, Neoclassical blue & white, France

A beautiful French antique dinner service in a stunning and rare design with place settings for up to 10 people, plus an extensive set of matching serving dishes. From Jules Vieillard et Cie, Bordeaux, France in the pattern 'Moustiers' inspired by the renaissance-style designs of Jean Berain, the leading designer to the court of Louis XIV (see below for more on this). This service was made in French faience ('terre de fer') c1860-1890, remains in lovely antique condition, very usable and displays beautifully.

This magnificent service was produced during the third empire in France, in the mid-late 19th Century by the highly respected maker Jules Vieillard of Bordeaux. In line with the style of times, this pattern turns to historic French and Classical revival motifs for its designs, utilizing iconic imagery from the hand-painted designs of the renowned faienceries of Moustiers, reworking them for transferware production.

This service includes a remarkable diversity of imagery, the classical motifs include mythological creatures (dragons, sphinx, griffins, nymphs, gods, putti) accompanied by lambrequins, amphorae, wreaths and garlands, and surrounded by a border of arabesque floral designs. All rendered in a richly detailed and vibrant transferware of deep navy / midnight blue 'en camaïeu' a technique that employs two or three tints of a single color to create sumptuous shading and colour depth within a monochromatic palette. A truly stunning design.

CONDITION -
Overall, this set remains in very good to excellent condition with a gentle patina of age.
Very light crazing or scratching to some pieces, a few very small areas of glaze loss, discoloration, minor damage to rim etc. as indicated below. As it was manufactured using more 'handmade' processes than today, you may see areas of glaze smudging, glaze spots, bubbles under the glaze, as is normal for transferware and part of the vintage charm of the items. With the exception of a few minor flaws everything is in excellent condition and remarkably well preserved for its age of 150+ years - the service remains fully usable and will display well for years to come.

INVENTORY AND CONDITION:
The set includes:
10 Dinner plates (25 cm / 9.75 inches diameter). In 7 different designs, all in excellent condition.
10 side plates (22 cm / 8.75 inches diameter). In 4 different designs, all in excellent condition.
1 large oval serving platter (39 cm / 15.25 inches x 32 cm /12.5 inches) in excellent condition.
1 large round serving platter (34 cm / 13.5 inches diameter) in excellent condition.
1 small round serving platter (26 cm / 10.25 inches diameter) in excellent condition except for one mature chip to the side of the rim.
1 small round deep serving plate (25 cm / 9,75 inches diameter, 2.5 cm / 1 inch high) in excellent condition.
1 small round service plate (16 cm / 6.5 inches diameter) which also may serve as an insert inside the deep serving plate as it fits snugly inside it. In excellent condition.
1 oval ravier serving dish (24cm / 9.5 long x 12cm / 5 inches x 3.5 cm / 1.5 inches high) in excellent condition with a very minor chip underneath its foot.
1 footed serving plate (25 cm / 9,75 inches diameter, 4 cm / 1.75 inches high) in excellent condition.
1 tall footed compotier (25 cm / 9,75 inches diameter, 12 cm / 4.75 inches high) in excellent condition.
1 tall footed compotier (22 cm / 8,75 inches diameter, 12 cm / 4.75 inches high) in excellent condition.


An exquisite set to treasure for a lifetime - and beautiful way to add some authentic French antique charm to your life!

Feel free to ask any questions or to request more photos. Please contact me if purchasing from the USA so that I may advise you on customs requirements.
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Please note that the preparation time for this item will be up to 10 working days to ensure the best possible packaging and shipping solution for you. I will be using all my skills as a former gallery owner to ensure that this treasure makes its way safely to your home. Please contact me if you require the shipment to be expedited for any reason and I will do my best to accommodate your needs.
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MORE ON JEAN BERAIN, THE DESIGN INSPIRATION BEHIND THIS SERVICE - (Source Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC)
"The blue-and-white decoration of grotesques in the court style of Jean Bérain I (1637-1711), a leading designer at the court of Louis XIV. (Grotesques were first developed as a slight painted wall decoration in the first century B.C. for the urban palaces and country villas of wealthy Romans. These classic grotesques were discovered through excavation in the late fifteenth century. The genre was copied and adopted by artists of the Renaissance, and never entirely disappeared from European art. In its essentials the style deployed a variety of human, animal, and mythical beings, upon the slightest of stepped architectural supports or pergolas.)

In Moustiers faience the earliest documented use of the grotesque style of Jean Bérain I, available to the factory in the form of prints, is a dish made between 1696 and 1700 for Jean Charles de Crussol, seventh Dux d'Uzès and his wife Anne Hypolite de Grimaldi, a Princess of Monaco."

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/194369

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Notes on shipping -

I always shop around to ensure the best possible packaging and shipping solution for you. Rest assured I will be using all my skills as a former art gallery owner to ensure that this treasure makes its way safely to your home. I have shipped literally hundreds of fragile items to every continent over the past 20 years. Your shipment will be fully insured against loss and damage in transit so you can buy with confidence.

I will always refund shipping overages. Etsy shipping charges are not always accurate to every destination - please enquire if you would like an exact quote for fully-insured shipping to your destination.

I am very happy to combine shipping so please get in touch if you like multiple items in my store.

Shipping within France via Mondial Relay to the Relay point of your choosing. Door to door shipping, is an extra paid service on this item which can be selected at checkout