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Monday 23 January 2012

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 18th 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

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