Antique French Faience Plate, Vue de la Grande Comédie à Bordeaux, Manufacture de Creil

Period
Circa 1820, French

Size
9¼ inches across

An antique French faience plate printed in black with a view of the Grand Théâtre in Bordeaux, made by the Manufacture de Creil under the printing patent of Stone, Coquerel et Le Gros.

The center shows the theater's colonnaded facade with the square before it filled with carriages, horses, and figures dressed in the fashion of the period, captioned below as Vue de la Grande Comédie à Bordeaux, du côté de l'entrée principale. A continuous grapevine frieze runs around the rim.

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. Creil produced a series of plates depicting the monuments and views of French cities in this period, drawn from published engravings of the buildings shown. The Grand Théâtre, completed in 1780 to the designs of Victor Louis, remains one of Bordeaux's principal landmarks.

Styling Ideas
Hang it, or set it on a plate rail where the engraving reads clearly. It also anchors a grouping of other early French faience view plates.