VINTAGE FRENCH SALINS-LES-BAINS BOTANICAL MAJOLICA SERVING BOWL
Cream Glaze • Raised Angelica-Style Leaf Motif • Made in France
An exquisite vintage French serving bowl by Salins-les-Bains, beautifully moulded with a continuous botanical leaf design around the entire exterior.
This is a wonderfully understated example of French ceramic design. Rather than relying on colour, the decoration is created through deeply modelled relief: overlapping leaves, stems and botanical forms emerge from the creamy glazed surface and change beautifully as the light falls across them.
The result is wonderfully tactile and sculptural, with a restrained ivory/cream monochrome palette that makes the bowl remarkably easy to incorporate into both traditional and contemporary interiors.
The underside carries the charming original printed backstamp:
SALINS LES BAINS
Made in France
together with the pottery emblem and the number 8.
The botanical decoration appears reminiscent of Angelica or similarly broad-leaved garden foliage, giving the bowl the organic character associated with French botanical and majolica-inspired ceramics.
This example is in exceptionally lovely vintage condition. The cream glaze remains glossy and fresh, and the raised botanical decoration is beautifully defined, with no obvious crazing to the glaze, which is particularly pleasing on a vintage cream-glazed piece of this type there are no chips or cracks. The photographs show a very clean interior and an exceptionally well-preserved exterior. There may naturally be the very slightest signs associated with age and previous handling, particularly around the foot/base where a ceramic piece rests on a surface, but nothing that detracts from its presentation. Please examine the photographs carefully, including the close-ups and underside, as these form part of the condition description.
This is one of those pieces that does not need to be confined to a china cabinet. Its neutral cream colour and sculptural foliage make it extremely usable in a modern home.
It would look wonderful filled with figs, pears, clementines, nuts or seasonal fruit, or used for salads, vegetables, desserts and appetisers when entertaining.
At Christmas, the creamy glaze would look particularly beautiful with greenery, red fruits, walnuts or festive sweets, while during spring and summer its botanical relief lends itself naturally to a lighter French-country table.
It is equally effective simply displayed empty on a dresser, open kitchen shelf, console or dining table where the changing light reveals the moulded leaf pattern.
A lovely choice for collectors of French majolica, Salins-les-Bains pottery, botanical ceramics, French country interiors, vintage French tableware and European art pottery.
Brand: Salins-les-Bains
Type: Serving Bowl
Country/Region of Manufacture: France
Origin: France
Material: Ceramic / Earthenware
Colour: Cream / Ivory
Pattern: Botanical / Angelica Leaf
Theme: Flowers & Plants / Botanical
Production Style: Majolica / Art Pottery
Style: French Country / Provincial
Features: Embossed / Raised Relief / Glazed
Finish: Glossy
Vintage: Yes
Handmade: Unknown
Signed: Backstamped
Occasion: All Occasions / Christmas / Dinner Party / Entertaining
Approximate Dimensions:
Diameter 13cm
Height: 5cm