E. N. Ivanova
The Collection of the State Hermitage comprises a considerable part of French ceramics of the 16th-17th centuries that contains more than 200 exhibits. The most important centres of French ceramic production are represented here.
Ceramic works came to the Hermitage in the 19th - early 20th century mostly from the collection of A. P. Basilewski and also from Shuvalov's collection and the Museum of the Society for the Encouragement of the Arts.
Delicate Saint-Porchaire faience pieces encrusted with coloured clays and covered with transparent glaze were produced in France in the 16th century. Being equally precious and rare they always left researchers asking endless questions concerning their origin and authorship. The Hermitage possesses four examples of the so-called St Porchaire ware that are decorated with moresque ornament. Two bowls and a salt-cellar came in 1885 from the collection of A. P. Basilewski, and one more salt-cellar came in 1925 from the collection of Countess E. V. Shuvalova.
The same collections contained ceramics of Saintonge and Beauvais of the 16th-17th centuries with relief decor often impressed into the clay with stamps or with ornament scratched onto engobe layer. In these spots glaze turned brown or green. Blotched glaze also became widespread.
The Hermitage collection offers a diverse presentation of ceramic wares of the circle of the most prominent French master of the 16th century Bernard Palissy, his ceramic works were covered with coloured lead glaze. The catalogue of A. P. Basilewski's collection attributed these ceramic wares to the workshop of Bernard Palissy, however this is undoubtedly far from reality. Nowadays most of these exhibits are considered to be works by the master's followers and are dated back to the 17th-19th centuries.
The so-called rural clay works by Bernard Palissy, dishes and bowls decorated with figures of reptiles executed from moulds formed by taking casts of the living creatures, are especially well-known. Works by Bernard Palissy that had no parallel either in Italian or in French ceramics were characteristic phenomena of Mannerism. Out of eight rural clay works from the Hermitage collection special emphasis should be given to the deep oval dish from the collection of A. P. Basilewski which we attribute to the workshop of Bernard Palissy or even to the master himself.
Genre character and unpretentious colouring of Avon ceramics covered with transparent coloured lead glaze conformed to the spirit of modesty and simplicity that was typical for the times of Henry IV. Its production was at first arranged in the Palace of Fontainebleau and then in Avon. The Hermitage possesses a considerable collection of similar figurines. This collection consists of 25 items, and 7 of them can safely be dated back to the 17th century. Among the items dated back to the 17th century there is Bust of Henry IV, Figurine of a Wetnurse (one out of three figurines from the Hermitage collection), sculptural group Christ and the Woman of Samaria (one of the two groups from the collection) and Neptune Riding Hippocampus.
The Hermitage permanent exhibition features a ceramic multi-tiered two-meter structure that served as a finial of roof. We attribute this richly decorated structure to Normand centres of ceramic production in Manerbe or Pre-d'Auge. Such Epis de faitage served as elegant tops of Normand castles at the end of the 16th - early 17th century.
Influence of Italian art was of key importance for the development of the Renaissance culture in France as well as for the formation of a new style of French ceramics of the 16th - 17th centuries. The production of majolica brought by Italian masters to France received an extensive development here. Through majolica French people who adopted this new technique demonstrated their taste, their views on decoration methods and their understanding of figurative motifs in Mannerism style. Thus, the Hermitage has a plate by Antoine Sigalon who worked in Nimes in the second half of the 16th century. This master managed to bring national identity into the ceramic style that was new for France.
Nevers majolica of the 17th century that reflects all stages of the development of local workshops is well-represented in the Hermitage. This type of ceramics entered the Hermitage collection in 1830s and was in the Treasure Gallery in the 19th century. The permanent exhibition demonstrates a series of Nevers vases of the first half and middle of the 17th century; shapes of these vases were apparently designed under the influence of China porcelain. The most significant and peculiar works by Nevers ceramicists are vases of the second half of the 17th century whose massive monumental shapes combine baroque and classicism features performed in the Grand style of Louis XIV.
French ceramics of the 18th century is represented in the Hermitage by faience works of factories of Nevers, Rouen, Mustie, Strasbourg, Marseille and many others.
At that time Rouen manufactories continued to produce high fired faience. They also successfully used radial decor and lambrequin ornament that were typical for this type of production at the end of the 17th century. The Hermitage collection also possesses Rouen faience with a depiction of cornucopias that was very typical for this type of production in the 18th century. The most impressive example of monumental ornamentality of all Rouen factory products in the Hermitage collection is Allegory of Winter, a stone statue in the form of a bust of a grey-haired old man painted in polychrome colours.
Staring form 1710s Clerissi's factory in Moustier produced faience with cobalt painting decorated in Jean Berain style which was extremely popular during the first half of the 18th century. From the end of 1730s Joseph Olerys manufactory started to paint ceramic works with the depiction of human and animal figurines in Jacques Callot style; these items were mostly performed in green and orange colours. Faience works with this type of decor also appear in the Hermitage collection.
Ceramics of Strasbourg is represented by the production of Hannongs' manufactory. This type of ceramics comprises works with cobalt painting in Rouen style of 1720s as well as faience pieces with flower ornament of 1740s. It was decorated with oriental Indian flowers and then with naturalistic Strasbourg flowers created under the influence of German porcelain in such fresh colours that could only be allowed by firing in muffle furnace introduced at the end of 1740s. When using this type of firing the painting of an article was applied to the already fired glaze with further firing at lower temperature. This technique allowed to expand the palette considerably as some paints could not withstand the heat of high firing that was used earlier for majolica production.
Products of Marseille manufactories such as factories of Veuve-Perrin, Honore Savy, Gaspard Robert and others who started their production in the middle of the 18th century are represented in the Hermitage in all their diversity. Here ceramicists also used firing in muffle furnace. When painting ceramic pieces of Rocaille forms masters turned to the works by Jean Pillement in chinoiserie style as well as to gallant scenes by Antoine Watteau, Francois Boucher, Nicolas Lancret and to series of seaports by Joseph Vernet and landscapes with ruins by Hubert Robert. Depiction of sea creatures such as fish, sea shells and shellfish was also extremely popular.
Mostly French ceramic works of the 18th century came in 1925 from the Museum of the Stieglitz School, Shuvalov's collection and the Treasure Gallery.
Works of the beginning of the 19th century are represented in the Hermitage collection by a service of Creil factory in Paris. The service is dated back to 1819, and it came to the Hermitage in 1925 from the Museum fund. The faience service has classical form and is covered with transparent glaze with printed decor. According to the technique and style of its performance the service is an imitation of English ceramics by Josiah Wedgwood.
The last quarter of the 19th century is represented by works by Theodore Deck that came to the Hermitage from the Museum of the Stieglitz School in 1929. This prominent ceramicist known for his technical innovations worked in Paris since 1856. His decorative vases are characterised by monumental forms, features of Art Nouveau style and influence of oriental ceramics such as Iznik faience. Art Nouveau style is more clearly manifested in ceramic works by Emile Galle who started his work in 1870s in Nancy. Galle's faience pieces are rarer than his famous glass works. The Hermitage collection has only three exhibits that came in 1980s - 1990s. Art Nouveau is also represented in the Hermitage collection by works by Auguste Delaerche and magnificent vases by Maurice Denis.
In 1985 Nadine Leger made a donation of an impressive collection of ceramics by Pablo Picasso to the Hermitage. The artist made ceramic works in 1950s in Vallauris in the south of France, and their forms and paintings portray many characteristic features of his pictorial works.
French ceramics of the 16th - 18th centuries is an incredibly diverse and significant artistic phenomenon. It is very closely connected with the development of not only French, but also Italian and Flemish art as well as with modern painting and graphic arts, jeweller's art and metalwork.
