Moustiers – Earthenware Dish Decorated With Nightshade Flowers – 18th Century

A very elegant earthenware dish from Moustiers-Sainte-Marie, dating from the 18th century, featuring a beautiful, scalloped and undulating shape characteristic of the Rocaille style of the period.

Against a beautiful, slightly crackled white glaze unfolds a remarkable decor in shades of yellow and orange known as “solanée flowers”, one of the most iconic floral motifs of 18th-century Moustiers earthenware.

In the center of the basin blooms a generous, asymmetrical bouquet composed of these famous solanée flowers. Long mistaken for potato flowers, they are now considered imaginary flowers, freely interpreted by the faience painters. Their stylized corollas, veined foliage, and small florets create a design more imagined by the artist than actually observed by a botanist.

On the rim, the design unfolds with extraordinary generosity: bouquets of nightshade flowers, small blossoms, foliage, and scrolls follow one another and elegantly accompany the scalloped contours of the dish. This skillful alternation of bouquets and small floral motifs is precisely one of the characteristics of the nightshade flower design.

First appearing and becoming widely popular in Moustiers in the mid-18th century, this design was initially often rendered in polychrome before enjoying a long-lasting popularity in yellow monochrome, as seen on our example. The motif was likely first inspired by Alcora ware before being introduced to Provence by Joseph Olérys.

The warmth of this ochre-yellow monochrome, the finesse of the brushwork, and the profusion of the decoration give this dish a particularly luminous and decorative presence.

A very beautiful 18th-century Moustiers earthenware piece, featuring a delightful “solanée flowers” decoration, a testament to the inventiveness and imagination of the great Provençal workshops.

Moustiers, 18th century.
Earthenware with a yellow-orange monochrome decoration.
Decoration known as “solanaceous flowers.”