French Faience Rouen Hand-Painted Candlestick

A wonderfully decorative French faience candlestick in the Rouen tradition, with an exuberant hand-painted design in cobalt blue, ochre yellow, green and touches of red. The candlestick has an elegant baluster-form stem, flared candle cup and an ornate, scalloped base resting on three scrolling feet.

Faience refers to a type of tin-glazed earthenware, traditionally finished with a pale, opaque glaze that provided an ideal surface for colourful painted decoration. Rouen faience is particularly celebrated for its richly ornamented ceramics, often drawing on French Rococo, floral and scrolling motifs. Rouen became one of France's great centres of faience production from the 16th century onwards, and its decorative vocabulary was widely admired and imitated.

This example is especially appealing for its naïve, painterly quality: the floral sprays, scrolling arabesques and ornamental panels are individually painted rather than mechanically printed, giving the surface the small variations that collectors look for in hand-decorated ceramics.

A wonderfully sculptural piece for an antique collection, it would be equally striking displayed on a mantel, dining table or amongst other French faience.

Details

• Style: French Faience, Rouen
• Technique: Hand-painted polychrome decoration
• Form: Candlestick
• Dimensions: 9" H × 5" W
• Colours: Cobalt blue, ochre, green, red and white
• Condition: Antique/vintage condition with signs of age and use consistent with a hand-decorated ceramic piece.