Openwork Basket In Fine Earthenware, Signed émile Tessier, Malicorne, 20th Century

Malicorne, signed Émile Tessier. Magnificent openwork basket in fine cream-colored earthenware, a good size, with polychrome floral decoration and a yellow scalloped rim, typical of Malicorne-sur-Sarthe. The style, the central motif, and especially the openwork work correspond very well to pieces from the Émile Tessier factory (late 19th – early 20th century). Émile Tessier (1887-1971) was a French earthenware maker, born in Malicorne-sur-Sarthe, a town renowned for its ceramic tradition. In 1924, Tessier founded his own factory in Malicorne, which would become known as the Malicorne Art Pottery (FAM). In 1924, Émile Tessier invented an openwork technique—he cut the still-raw clay with a blade to create delicate openwork pieces resembling lace. Available at Galerie Particulière Antiquités, 3 Rue Bailleul, Fresnay-sur-Sarthe.