Fabulous Quimper Finds...or...My Little Piece of Frenchy Heaven!

I am sooo excited to tell you about this week’s thrifting find! If you know me, you know that I am a big fan of Quimper ware…faïence or glazed pottery from the town of Quimper in the Brittany region of France. Well…I was at my favorite flea/antique market, when I stumbled across this…


…lovely vintage Quimper plates and bowls in various sizes…stacks of them…


…including a wonderful little cream pitcher, a lobed plate and two marvelous old serving bowls…21 pieces in all!


So I picked up the pitcher to see its price…hmmm…$199 plus 20% off. I quickly did the math…$160. I wasn’t shocked, but that seemed pricey for a pitcher. So I began to pick up the other pieces…no prices on them. Could it be? Had I misread? Be still my heart! Yes…$160 for all 21 pieces! A single piece alone can cost much more than that!


Most of them are in excellent condition, but  a couple of the pieces had little chips…not unusual for plates this age… and, sadly, this wonderful old bowl had been broken…but lovingly glued back together. The glaze isn’t perfect on some of them, but my friend Sarah at Hyacinths for the Soul, a fellow Quimper lover with a fabulous collection, tells me that it is the result of a wood-fired kiln which indicates that they are truly vintage pieces. And the imperfections don’t bother me…


  …because I just picture them as coming from a kitchen like this somewhere in the French countryside! Sarah says that the marks indicate that they are probably from the 1950s with the exception of the two lovely old serving bowls which are circa 1940. Whoever owned them lovingly served big family meals and simple suppers from them, carefully hand-washed them in the big farmhouse sink and put them away until next time. Or that’s what I think. And somehow they made their way over here to me!


 Aren’t they wonderful? It makes me smile just to look at them! I love the shape of the plates and the fluted bowls! This is the closest I have come to Quimper heaven…


…since I visited the factory during my retirement trip to France three years ago…the highlight of my trip! Can’t you see by the look on my face?  Sigh!


And where have I put my new collection? This is the wine rack in my breakfast nook as I last showed it to you a few months ago…with one shelf (the middle one) dedicated to part of my modest Quimper collection…


  …and here it is now! Absolutely filled with Quimper ware! Woooo hooo! I have mixed the vintage pieces in with the modern. It makes me happy just to walk by!


Baby Kitty thinks I have lost my mind! They’re just old plates, after all! But not to me! They are a connection to a place and a time that I love!


And how did I do? Well…I found one of the smaller plates on an antique website for $33…for just the one plate! So I think I more than got my money’s worth! But more than that, I will have years of pleasure from just enjoying seeing them in my home!

Thanks so much for stopping by!  And thanks so much for your help, Sarah!
Please visit these wonderful ladies and their beautiful blogs to see what they are up to and to find a list of this week’s participants!
Alison at The Polo House for Favorites on the First
Suzanne at Privet and Holly for Collection Show 'n' Tell
Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday
Rhoda at Southern Hospitality for Today’s Thrifty Treasures
Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday
Linda at Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
Laurie at Bargain Hunting and Chatting with Laurie for A Few of My Favorite Things Saturday
See you next time! A la prochaine!