Antique Creil Paris “Vue de la Grande Serre” Transferware Plate

This striking antique French plate is an excellent example of early 19th‑century Creil Paris transfer‑printed earthenware, featuring a finely detailed architectural view and neoclassical decoration. Octagonal in form and measuring approximately 23 cm in diameter, the plate is printed in an attractive soft grey‑brown monochrome on a warm white body, typical of the Creil & Montereau wares made for the Paris market.

To the centre is an exquisite printed scene titled “Vue de la Grande Serre, au Jardin des Plantes”. The subject shows the great glasshouse and formal parterres of the famed Jardin des Plantes in Paris, with figures strolling in the foreground and gardeners at work among the beds. The fine line‑engraved quality of the transfer captures architectural detail and period costume with remarkable clarity, a testament to the sophisticated printing techniques licensed in Paris at this date. This kind of Parisian topographical motif appealed strongly to the early‑to‑mid‑19th‑century bourgeois clientele who collected souvenir services illustrating notable French sites.

The broad rim is framed by a double black line and decorated with a repeating pattern of Napoleonic‑style roundels, each enclosing an eagle and surrounded by arrows or lightning bolts, alternating with small mask‑like heads or cartouches. This restrained yet formal border gives the piece a distinctly Empire feel and balances the more pictorial central reserve. The octagonal outline, with gently chamfered corners, adds further visual interest and reflects the taste for angular, faceted shapes fashionable from the Restoration period through the Second Empire.

The reverse is clearly marked. An impressed “CREIL” factory stamp identifies production at the important Creil works north of Paris, celebrated for their hard, well‑fired earthenware and for adopting English transfer‑printing methods early in the 19th century. In addition, there is a circular printed Paris mark referring to an “impression sur faïence porcelaine” protected by brevet (patent), indicating that the central view was produced using a patented transfer process developed in Paris. The combination of these marks helps place the plate within the flourishing period of Creil–Paris collaborations in the mid‑1800s, when services illustrating French monuments and gardens were especially popular.

Condition is described as good and is consistent with careful use and age. Under close inspection the glaze shows light surface wear and small utensil marks to the well, together with tiny specks and minor firing irregularities typical of antique faience fine. The rim retains its delicate printed decoration crisply, though small areas of rubbing and a few minute edge nicks or glaze flakes can be seen in the photographs, mainly on the high points of the octagonal outline. There are no obvious cracks or significant structural issues visible, and the plate rings reasonably well when gently tapped, suggesting it remains sound and very presentable for display.

This Creil plate would make an evocative addition to a collection of French faience, Empire‑period ceramics or architectural transferware. The subject of the Jardin des Plantes greenhouse has strong appeal for collectors of botanical history and Parisian topography, and the monochrome palette allows it to sit harmoniously among both black‑and‑white transfer pieces and more colourful 19th‑century services. Display it on a stand, as photographed, to show off the central view, or hang it on the wall as part of a decorative group of French landscape or city‑view plates. Its relatively generous 23 cm diameter also means it can serve as a shallow serving or dessert plate on the table, bringing a touch of historical Parisian elegance to modern dining.