Malicorne Earthenware Fruit Basket, 20th Century

In 1747, Jean Loiseau founded an earthenware factory in the Sarthe region of France. In addition to domestic products (dishes, plates, roasting pans and other kitchen utensils), his skilled workers produced earthenware decorated in the style of Rouen and Nevers. By the end of the 18th and into the 19th century, two other earthenware factories had added to the production of the first workshop. In addition to colorful pieces in rustic, sometimes naïve and often poetic forms, other openwork pieces made Malicorne famous. Above all, from 1924 onwards, Faïenceries d’Art de Malicorne adopted the now-classic motifs of the great 18th-century French and European earthenware manufacturers. Refined and delicate pieces emerged from the factory’s kilns, of which our fruit basket is particularly representative.