French Faience Trinket Dish by Saint-Jean de Bretagne

The pottery firm of Saint-Jean de Bretagne {Bretagne is the French name for Brittany} made decorative earthenware popular after World War II. This charming pin dish---or ring dish---was created and hand painted by them in the 1950's.

The pure white tin-glazed faience dish is inscribed in the center in blue script: 'Une belle-mère, un percepteur, lous des malheurs...' Translated to English, this bit of humor reads: 'A mother-in-law, a tax collector, full of misfortunes.' The writing is encircled by a row of cobalt blue triangles and dots, which are then surrounded by interlacing cobalt blue loops. The scalloped edges are painted the same blue. These designs are reminiscent of those on Art Deco Quimper pottery of the 1920's-1930's.

The dish is signed in black script on the bottom: St Jean de Bretagne Decor Main {completely hand painted} 1003 {stock number} and MJB {artist's initials}. Later pieces were marked on the bottom with a black ink stamp.

Measuring 6 inches across from point to point on the edges, it's 1 1/2 inches high and weighs a mere 7 ounces. In excellent condition, the dish has one small oval chip on the foot (shown) but no cracks or stains. It's a perfect addition to a French pottery collection and works well with other blue and white pottery. Makes a great ring dish too!

⁂ Due to lighting, some photos show the dish darker than others. It is definitely pure white.

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