Antoine Montagnon Large Nevers Earthenware Basket Decorated With Floral Bouquets And Butterflies

- Large tin-plated Nevers earthenware basket with hand-painted decoration of flower bouquets and butterflies on a white background.- Basket handle woven in speckled blue, white and ochre, blue border on the edge and at the base of the basket.- Note a shrinkage of enamel during firing inside the basket of 6mm in diameter but in no way detracting from the quality of the piece.- Signed under the bottom of the basket with the stamp of the Antoine Montagnon earthenware factory and two letters AM reversed for Antoine Montagnon and two .XX in black and a green knot and the number 8 intaglio for the size of the basket.- Period 4th quarter of the 19th century around 1875-1889.- The Antoine Montagnon earthenware factory, located at 10 rue de la porte du Croux in Nevers, also called the earthenware factory at the end of the world was the oldest in France.- The Montagnon family dynasty began in 1875.- Antoine Montagnon bought the factory at the end of the world from Henri Signoret in 1875.- In 1878 Antoine Montagnon won his first gold medal at the Paris World's Fair, then another at the 1889 World's Fair.- Four generations of master potters followed one another.- Antoine Montagnon from 1875 to 1889, then his son Gabriel Montagnon from 1899-1937, then Gabriel's son Jean Montagnon from 1937-1978, and Gérard Montagnon, son of Jean, from 1978 to 2015.- The Montagnon factory closed its doors permanently in 2015 after 140 years of family activity.