Montagne c. 1850 - 1875

This plate, titled ‘Montagne’ was made by De Sphinx. It's a ceramic piece, likely produced using industrial methods of the time. The design is transfer-printed onto the surface. You can see the fine lines and detailed patterns, achieved through a mechanized printing process rather than hand-painting. The imagery is picturesque, featuring a romanticized mountain landscape, framed by ornate floral and geometric motifs. What's interesting here is the contrast between the handcrafted appearance and the likely reality of mass production. Transfer printing allowed for the efficient decoration of ceramics, making them more accessible to a wider market. This reflects the changing landscape of labor and consumption during the industrial era, where traditional craft skills were increasingly supplemented, and sometimes replaced, by mechanized processes. The plate's aesthetic borrows from both fine art and decorative arts traditions, blurring the lines between them. The image suggests the artist's skill, while the overall object speaks to the democratization of design through industrial means. It is a fascinating object, reflecting broader social and economic shifts.