Antique French Faience History Plate, Règne de Raoul Duc de Bourgogne, Manufacture de Creil

Period
Circa 1820, French

Size
8⅜ inches across

An antique French faience plate printed in black with a scene from the reign of Raoul, tenth century king of France, made by the Manufacture de Creil under the printing patent of Stone, Coquerel et Le Gros.

The center shows a seated ruler receiving two women within a draped chamber, captioned below as Règne de Raoul Duc de Bourgogne. The rim carries a border of griffins paired with lyre-form urns, a neoclassical device drawn from the same decorative vocabulary popularized under the Empire.

The plate shows fading, staining, craquelure, and small chips consistent with its age. Sold as found.

Historical Context
In 1808, John Hurford Stone, Athanase Coquerel, and the printer Antoine Legros d'Anizy patented an underglaze transfer printing process for the Manufacture de Creil, and pieces carrying their printed mark date to the years that followed. Alongside its city views, Creil produced a series depicting successive reigns from French history, drawn from published historical engravings. Raoul, also called Rodolphe of Burgundy, held the French throne from 922 to 936, in the turbulent decades between the Carolingian and Capetian dynasties.

Styling Ideas
Hang it, or set it on a plate rail where the engraving reads clearly. It pairs naturally with the Versailles plate from the same series.