1892 French Faience Jardiniere K and G Luneville Old Strasbourg Pattern Rare

This large and very beautiful oval jardinière is meant to hold faux or real plants, concealing less than attractive planting pots. Made the French firm Keller & Guérin, famous for their high quality ceramics, the cream colored (off-white) earthenware is ornamented with a central design on both sides featuring a pink cabbage rose and spring florals. This pattern was originally adapted from the Strasbourg faience factories of the 1700s. The elaborate scrolled handles on either end have a single bluebell with leaves beneath each one. The high sides of the planter are scalloped and trimmed with magenta, as are the handles. The flowers are transfers, while the trim is hand painted.

The printed black mark on the bottom is a double-bordered circle topped with a crown. The crown is flanked by the letter "K" on the left and "G" on the right. Inside the circle are the words "Luneville France." The number 9 is on the left in the circle, the number 2 on the right, indicating this piece was made in 1892. ⚜️K& G closed in 1981. If you read elsewhere that these numbers on the mark are "later ones," this is obviously not true. There would be no 1992.

Impressed in the clay on the upper left are the words "Sᵗ Clement France" which is historically significant. In the year 1892 Keller & Guérin, who already owned the massive factory in Lunéville, bought out the neighboring Saint-Clément pottery works. The two rival companies merged their clay recipes and pattern molds. Because this jardinière dates precisely to 1892, it was produced right during this transition. The wet clay was pressed into a mold at the Saint-Clément workshop (located just 7 miles away). Before the piece was fired, a worker impressed the "Sᵗ Clement" script to indicate who made the physical shape. The printed mark indicates that the decorating and glazes were done in Lunéville. The two marks together document the exact year the two French potteries united into a single brand.

This faience piece is in excellent condition, with two tiny flakes off one of the handles (pictured) and just some shelf dirt on the dry foot. There is no damage, wear, stains or crazing; it's so clean it can hold fruit and nuts as well as flowers or plants. It measures 11 1/2 inches long, 4 1/2 inches deep and weighs 2 1/2 pounds. This rare historical French faience jardinière is a nice find for the collector, decorator and Francophile and looks elegant all by itself.

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