High quality French faience pottery is renowned for its warmth and visual appeal, and Choisy le Roi was one of the premier producers of beautiful wares for just over a hundred years, between 1804 and 1910, according to the Majolica International Society.
This set of six polychrome transferware plates were made around 1880. The stories they could tell!
They depict charming scenes of antique French society, in vivid yet soft colours. They’re an Etsy find, which I unearthed when looking for another Choisy le Roi pattern that I’m dying to share with you. (Spoiler Alert: I just photographed it today and it involves French rabbits, cabbages and radishes – perfect for Easter. Stay tuned!) Update: just posted it Choisy le Roi French Rabbit Plates for Higgins-Seiter.
What immediately stuck out (at least to me) was the visual contrast between the cheerful cobalt/ French blue colours and the soft sage backgrounds.
I was originally going to style the table with more modern, cobalt glasses. I was thrilled, however, to have a chance to use these somewhat awkwardly coloured blue optic antique goblets. I love them, but they’re a challenge to pair up.
See what I mean? Pretty, but “cheerful”!
The hydrangea formed a great bridge between the green and blue, and was also combined in the antique twist stemmed candlesticks.
Jewel dinner plates by Spode provided a soft background in similar tones to the gilded-edge Choisy le Roi antique plates, and modern glass chargers from Pier 1 echoed the gilding.
I furthered the vintage vibe of the plates with bakelite handled flatware. Wheaton Striped green napkins from Pottery Barn in a similar soft green to the sage Vine Boutis runner from Williams Sonoma added another casual “French” touch.
Victorian glass decanters are always a welcome addition. I can’t remember where we got this set, but it comprises two decanters and one jug. We use it all the time.
Chicken wire covered glass jars from Harvest of Barnstable carried on the soft gold tones, along with my oft-used gilded open salts (from Chirp, now folded into Etsy, I believe).
These have an aqua interior, which always reminds me of an opal.
It makes me feel like rushing off to France for a charm-fix, perhaps involving croissant and a large cup of cafe au lait, imbibed slowly at a romantic sidewalk cafe.
In the meantime, I’ll just nibble on a croissant here, and enjoy the local scenery. 🙂
I will leave you with one last picture. Enjoy!
I’m sharing this post with Between Naps on the Porch.
Ms. Kain,
I wish I remembered more of my high school French, so I say how superb this table is in the proper language. The crystal is perfect, the boutis runner is just the right color and mood. Overall subtle and inviting.
Looking forward to your Easter table.
Regards,
Elizabeth Speicher
Good morning Elizabeth,
My high school French is equally elusive, and I appreciate the sentiment! Half the fun in setting the table is trying out different combinations to see which ones strike the right note, and as you know, experimenting often takes one in unexpected directions. I liked the blue glasses with the sage green runner, but it wasn’t at all where the table began.
Thank you so much for your kind remarks! Have a wonderful weekend.
With kind regards.
Helen
These beautiful plates share lots of their history on day to day living. Makes me salivate for a yummy French meal. The delicate blue glasses are just the right touch. Well done once again
You and me both, Maura! We are on our way to Pain D’Avignon this morning to pick up some croissants.
So glad you liked the table. It was very nice to be able to give those glasses an outing!
Not sure why this popped up in July, but glad it did. Delightful design. Do you think that perhaps the goblets are Tiffin? The shape of the goblet leads me to that speculation. The Victorian decanters are superb. Thanks for inviting us for a peek. CherryKay
I don’t think they’re Tiffin, CherryKay. I’ll have to go back and look at the receipt. They’re called Optic due to the diamond pattern in the glass. I’ll dig out the paperwork and let you know. Thanks for stopping in
Your blue goblets are beautiful, and how perfect with both the hydrangeas and the French plates. Thank you for sharing this table.
Thanks, Joy. I really liked the detail of the French scenes on the plates, and the blue really jumped out. The soft green tempered the vigor of the glasses!
I have a Choisi-Le-Roi (ALBI-HBC) wash bowl and pitcher in green/blue flowers. I would like to know more about it. I would assume that the set has to be at least from 1910 if not before.
Appreciate your help.
Regards,
Lyn Sherwood
From what I gathered about the history of Choisy le Roi ceramics, it would have to be before 1910, Lyn. It would also make sense given that wash bowls and pitchers were superseded by running water around that time, too.
Reminds me of darling children’s book by Ms. Marcia Brown, “Stone Soup”. Based on an old French tale of 3 soldiers who taught a town to be friendlier and share.
Wonderful table settings here. Bon appetit!!!
I remember that book! Loved the “sleight of hand” (or word) in encouraging the villagers to add their vegetables, bit of meat, etc. It’s a really heartwarming tale.
Lovely of you to remember it. Perhaps your Grand-daughters would like it to be read aloud? As a child, I had a long illness and bed rest. My Mom used a golden child-size tea set to serve me lunch in bed and afterwards read aloud to me for hours.