“broomstick" - Marc’harit Houël - Manufacture Hb Quimper - Bretagne

Manufacture HB Quimper
Faïencepolychrome, circa 1930.

This plate refers to the Bazh-valan, literally “broomstick,” an ancient Breton custom related to marriages. The matchmaker, sometimes called the bazh-valan, goes to a farm with a branch of broom, symbolizing his mission. His role is to praise the qualities of a local young man to a young woman and her family in order to arrange a union. This messenger of the heart often uses wit and diplomacy to present the suitor in the best possible light. If the proposal is accepted, the branch of broom is accepted; if not, it remains on the doorstep. This picturesque tradition, imbued with humor and finesse, bears witness to an ancient art of romantic mediation in rural Brittany.



Marc'harit Houël (1907 - 2002):
Marc'harit Houël entered the École des Beaux-Arts in Rennes in 1925, where she studied under Jules Roncin and Jeanne Malivel, a major figure in the Seiz Breur movement, who passed on to her a taste for engraving and Breton artistic renewal. Through her parents, who owned a department store in Rennes that was a customer of the HB pottery in Quimper, she came into contact with the factory and began working there. She played an active role in the revival of 20th-century Breton decorative arts, combining tradition and modernity. Her creations are distinguished by their vivid colors.