Vintage HB Quimper Fish Plate in Blue with Hand Painted Breton Man

A vintage HB Quimper fish plate, hand painted in Brittany with a Breton man among pink and blue flowers, a sponged cobalt blue rim and a cheerful fish face, made at the Faïenceries de Quimper in the 1970s.

We see a lot of Quimper, but this is the first fish we have ever come across, and we are a little smitten. The whole plate is shaped like a plump fish, with a beady orange eye, a pouting orange mouth, scalloped fins and a fanned tail, all edged in sponged blue. A garland of pink and blue petals and green leaves swims round the rim, framing the centre, where a Breton man in a navy jacket, pink pantaloons and yellow gaiters stands with his walking stick between two blue flowers, a few birds flying overhead.

Quimper faience has been made in the Breton town of the same name since the late seventeenth century, and HB is the oldest of its factories. The handwritten backstamp reads HB Quimper F 360 D201 AG, giving the form number, the decor number and the initials of the painter who decorated it. Marks in this F and D style were used by Les Faïenceries de Quimper between 1968 and 1983, and a matching fish plate painted with a Breton woman, held by the Museum of International Folk Art, is dated to around 1975.

It measures 25cm from mouth to tail, 24cm from fin to fin and 2.5cm high. It is in lovely vintage condition, with bright, glossy colours and a few tiny flecks to the glaze around the underside rim.

Shallow enough to hang, it would look wonderful on a kitchen wall with a plate hanger, swimming alongside other blue and white plates or above the range in a French farmhouse kitchen. It is just as happy propped on a dresser shelf, holding olives or lemons on the table, or catching rings and keys on a dressing table. A charming gift for anyone who loves Brittany, French country style or a seaside kitchen.