Antique French Tin-Glazed Faïence Platter, Blanc de Faïence

Period
18th to early 19th century, French

Size
12 inches across, 1½ inches deep

French tin-glazed faïence, undecorated white, blanc de faïence.

The white is a glaze over a tan body. Both sides were glazed, so the platter rested on supports called pernettes in the kiln, seen by the three marks around the bottom rim. The glaze is a warm ivory that pools thicker in the hollows of the shaped rim. The rim was press-molded into soft scalloped lobes that vary slightly in width, the foot is flat and hand-formed, and there are scattered dark specks and grit in the glaze from the firing.

For a tin-glazed piece of this age the condition is remarkable. Rim chips with old dulled edges, glaze loss to the rim underside, utensil scratching across the well, and warm discoloration overall. Unmarked, sold as found.

Historical Context
Tin glaze is an opaque white made with tin oxide, laid over ordinary colored clay to give a white surface to paint on or to leave plain. It was the standard method for French faïence through the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Blanc de faïence is the undecorated version, where the form and the glaze carry the piece by themselves. Plates of the period were considerably smaller than modern ones, so at twelve inches this was made as a serving piece.

Styling Ideas
Hang it, or stand it on a dresser or plate rail where the shaped rim does the work. Serve bread, cheese or fruit from it. On a console or entry table it holds keys and post.