Very rare French Antique Majolica Oyster Plate by early ORCHIES  pottery, in tender blue and green turquoise colours, late 1880s. 

Item description: 

A very rare big rectangular shaped 12 well antique French Majolica Oyster Plate made by early ORCHIES Moulin des Loups & Hamage Pottery, circa late 1880s. This oyster plate is painted in light green turquoise colors with oyster wells in white and tender blue. 


Though not being signed this rectangular model with skilfully shaped scallop shells has been produced only by Orchies pottery and is attributed to late 1880s before the branding and registering the pottery's mark. This model is truly rare and reference to it can be found in resourceful  'Glazed and Confused' blog dedicated to majolica pottery. 

Dimensions:

Diameter of plate: 25 cm / 9.84 " on 30 cm / 11.8", weight is 955 grams / 2.1 lbs

Condition:  

Good antique condition for the piece of this age and fragility. One small surface chip on the front and glazing wear off on the plate sides on the corners of the rectangle, all as a result of use, please carefully see pictures. Thanks to overall shiny colours and shades the glaze these small faults are not very visible. Rich colours with no fading. No cracks or repairs. Slight age-cracking of the glaze. See the photos for details and don't hesitate to ask if extra fotos are needed. 


History of Orchies:

Already the owner of a faience factory in Rimbaud, Belgium in the 1870s, Emile L'Herminé Declercq, eager to increase his production, settled with his brother Joseph in Orchies in 1886.
Orchies, a former stronghold of the Counts of Flanders, is located near the Belgian border and not far from Saint-Amand-les-Eaux, a famous center of faience production since the 18th century, with the "Moulin des Loups" faience factory.
In 1904, he oriented his production towards artistic faience under the name of "L'Herminé et Cie". Thus, we find the OLD stamp which stands for Orchies L'Herminé Declercq.
In the 1920s, the Orchies faience factory merged with the Hamage faience factory and became Le "Moulin des Loups & Hamages". The brand is then generally decorated with the windmill and the capital letters ORCHIES signature.
The earthenware factory employed some 175 people in the 1910s, while the town of Orchies had around 5,000 inhabitants. The workforce gradually increased to more than 500 people in the 1950s to 1970s. The workshops produced until 1980,
the date of their final closure.

Shipping:

For this piece we offer FREE shipping to the buyer. We will ship by French Post services. Should you wish the item to be shipped by another company please let us know and we will find a way to arrange it. By now we ship to Americas and Europe. Please make sure to be aware of your local importing duties to avoid any unpleasant surprises or delays.

Every piece will be carefully wrapped in professional air bubble plastic, paper wrap and placed in a thick cardboard box.

Returns are accepted within 30 days and will be fully refunded upon piece delivery back. Return shipping however will be on the buyers cost.

About us: 

We are a multinational couple living in France. We are passionated by the beauty and elegance of French savoir-fair in decorative crafts and on our page we will offer interesting finds. With over 20 years of work experience in international companies with high service standards we are striving for highest customer satisfaction. If you have any comments or feedback or questions please get in touch before leaving any negative feedback. We speak English, French, Polish and Russian and we believe that through communication we will always find a way out.