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Basin

Dateca. 1665−85
MediumFaience (tin-glazed earthenware)
Dimensions7 × 23 × 15 1/8 in. (17.8 × 58.4 × 38.4 cm)
Credit LineGift of Sidney R. Knafel, 2022
Accession number2022.17.75
Commentary

This recently discovered basin and the ewer (cat. 18) are the most beautiful known pieces made with the famous dark blue background known as "Nevers blue," invented in the second half of the seventeenth century in Nevers. Their shapes recall silver pieces used at the court of Louis XIV while their painted decorationwith figures wearing turbans, a shepherdess spinning a distaff, and peddlersis inspired by early seventeenth-century French literature, including the novel L'Astrée by Honoré d'Urfé, published between 1607 and 1627.

These two exceptional pieces were originally intended for display during a banquet on a credenza, temporarily set up either inside a royal or princely residence, or outside, in a lavish jardin à la française.

Not On View
Large, oval platter covered with ornate decoration in blue and white
French, Nevers
ca. 1630−50
Large circular plate with animals and ornate decoration in blue and white
French, Nevers
ca. 1645
Circular plate with landscapes in blue and white
French, Nevers
ca. 1645
Large circular plate with a mythological scene and ornate border in blue and white
French, Nevers
ca. 1680−85
Large flask with putti against an orange background
French, Nevers
ca. 1680−90
Circular plate with a mythological scene and ornate border, in color
French, Nevers
ca. 1680−1700
Two flasks with ram heads and mythological scenes in a blue seascape
French, Nevers
ca. 1680−1700
Oval platter with figurative decoration in blue and white
French, Nevers
ca. 1640−50
Circular plate with a putto and scrollwork against an orange background
French, Nevers
ca. 1680−90
Oval platter with a deep blue background and floral decoration
French, Nevers
ca. 1660−70
Large, faceted planter with ornate decoration in color and masks on either side
French, Nevers
ca. 1680
Large circular plate with a mythological scene and ornate border, in color
French, Nevers
ca. 1680−90
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