18th Century Frivolity: trompe l'oeil ceramics

 Talleyrand said that the douceur de vivre [sweetness of life] before the French Revolution would never be repeated.  Sofia Coppola’s movie  ' Marie Antoinette' captured the insouciance and frivolity of the 18^th century – it clearly showed the luxury, craftsmanship and refinement of Versailles, not the intellectual side of French life, she showed the fun.  Trompe l’oeil ceramics were part of this playfulness, a tradition that continues to this day in the Veneto in Italy:

 

    Left and above: 18th Century ceramics

Cabbage from a Florida potter and modern ceramic table pieces from Este in Italy

http://www.esteceramiche.com/

Ceramic eggs, olives and an aubergine

Ceramic fennel and a lemon on a plate

A ceramic pumpkin in my London garden