Avisseau (French) "Art of the Earth" Palissy Rustic Basin dated 1856, glazed in a bright enamels, the oval basin with a pike laying in a pool of water to the centre, surrounded by lush foliage and flowers climbing out onto a wide border, together lizards, snake and frog, with a plaque inscribed Avisseau, Tours, 1856?, 21 1/2" x 18". In the description of an example of a Charles-Jean Avisseau rustic basin in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum, NY, it reads ?Though Charles-Jean Avisseau is often credited with rediscovering the techniques of Bernard Palissy(ca. 1510-1590), he often surpassed the much simpler forms used by the Renaissance potter. Here, Avisseau creates a microcosm teeming with life on the surface of the ceramic basin, with shells interspersed alongside a snake, a salamander, and a lizard, each colored with a different ceramic glaze. Charles Jean- Avisseau exhibited at the Great Exhibition 1851.

Catalogued and curated by Nicolaus Boston.

Flower Family Collection.

Provenance: Nick Boston Antiques

Professional leaf repair.