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Bonjour and welcome to our home! The minute our door opens you know that we are collectors and love the world of antiques. Our collections reflect not only our love for Quimper but for the “old” in general. As our friends know, when you visit our home, it is a step back into a world of the past. We love every antique acquisition we have made: the French grandfather clocks that reside in every room, the music boxes from Switzerland, antique rugs from various parts of Turkey, chandeliers and lamps from France and Italy, and the antique bedspread from Jaisalmer, India. Every item, every trip is a memory. Our tour starts with the entry hall. The entry table (right) is a French cast iron leg-based table with a marble top. The lamp is actually a mid-1800’s French Torchiere statue that we found in our favorite antique shop and converted. The ceramics we bought on several trips to Italy and were found in Gubbio in the Umbria region. They are Gualdo Tadino pottery which is most famous for their “riverbed technique," a lustre technique with the addition of gold. They are all signed and from the late 1800’s. The late 1800's French Mantel clock is all original and still works beautifully. Above: View of the entry hall. Below: French mantle clock

A little history of us: Mike and I have been married for 53 years which makes us antiques as well. As a retired Presbyterian minister, Mike was for a while a practicing magician, and I was a schoolteacher for almost 40 years. We love the adventure of travel and that is when our love affair with France began. Mike plans the trips and I shop, though after all this time together Mike has also acquired quite the eye in our quests. We have been to all seven continents and well over 100 countries, Africa and India being our favorites with eleven safaris to Africa and six trips to India. Only COVID has slowed our passionate exploration of the world, and our house reflects that passion. The long table in the living room holds our Swiss music box dating back to 1875. It is made from Birdseye Maple with inlaid mother of pearl and ebony and plays eight cylinders that we change according to holidays and seasons. What makes it so unusual is that it has a zither on it so that you can put the zither down and a different tone comes from the cylinder. We have music boxes in every room except for the kitchen, but this one is without doubt our most treasured - and not just because it took us 6 months to pay for it.

Our favorite pieces to play on the music box are Strauss, but we do play Yankee Doodle for the Fourth of July. To the left of the music box is an Henriot jardiniere with a botanical on one side and a mother and child on the other. I have the botanical showing on the front of the display so that when you leave the room you see the family scene on the other side. I covet dragons whenever I can find them, so I immediately had to buy the jardiniere after seeing the dragon handle. In front of the jardiniere the figure of the lady washing her clothes is also Henriot. The tall HB vase has a botanical on one side and a little lady knitting on the reverse. Left: Jardiniere, reverse side. Below: Mix of Palissy and Quimper. I cherish the antique French Palissy piece with all the worms and butterflies that we found at a New York Pier Show as it is so rare. When I saw the little majolica frog, it was a must as it looks like he is about to capture the worm for dinner. To the left of the music box are two wonderful antique French Palissy Shell cups complete with smaller shells at the bottom.

On the back corner of the table is a wonderful shell-shaped Porquier-Beau vase with a young woman and child on the front and a botanical on the back. I bought the French Palissy to compliment the Quimper shell piece in New York at another Pier Show. Our travel was first done with backpacks and second-class railroad passes but even then, Mike's philosophy was... If you can carry it, Barbara, you can have it! Our first trips were to France, hence the love for Quimper as it was small enough to carry and then affordable. When at home, we went to Bustamante antique shows and became good friends with every antique dealer in our area. That is how we met Mark and Adela Meadows and became interested in Quimper. Photos above: Porquier-Beau shell shaped piece front & back. On one of those trips to France we also met William and Maria Dereure, who became “ambassadors” for us by shopping for Quimper for our collection. It was from them that we truly fell in love with Porquier-Beau Quimper and the Post-Modern statues you will see scattered throughout the house.

During the COVID “lockdown” I became acquainted with Lucy, who has been a wonderful friend helping me with enhancing our collection. The question she has asked is “How do you choose a piece to add to your collection?” Our collection is a mutual decision, as when you have been married for 53 years you learn the likes and dislikes of what makes each other happy. Each piece that we have bought, either furniture or faience, must speak to our hearts. If we both don’t suddenly say…."LOOK!" then we don’t even think about it. The piece must be within our budget of course, although we have splurged at times and I know overpaid, but as they say…love doesn’t have a price. The piece also must immediately tell us where it would fit in the house. Of course, over the years we have moved pieces on to find new owners. Above: The Brittany cabinet holds 450 bottles of wine and sits to the right of the long table. In the early days we were decorating with Danish Modern so you can see that we have changed greatly. Traveling has sometimes meant taking "vacations" from collecting as travel is our other passion and doing both can be costly. Above: Mike and his Breton wine cabinet.

We fell in love with the faience of Quimper, as well as the furniture, so most of our furniture is from Brittany and reveals our love for the story of the little man and woman, and their lives. You might say that it reflects our love affair with this unique area of France. Right: Detail work on the wine cabinet shows scenes with the breton and bretonne. The library cabinet, carved with a book & pens at the top, features my santon collection and various pieces of Quimper. On the top is a large PB platter Le baptȇme, environs de Quimper ("The Christening”). It is featured on p. 67 of Faïences de Quimper Porquier-Beau 1875-1905 Exposition au château de Quintin 1998-1999. Below: Vases with earthquake wax on their bases, necessary for California living! L-R: Henriot, PB, and PB (23"H).

Inside the cabinet on the top shelf is a Porquier-Beau cider service complete with six cups and two large pichets. The back sides are decorated with botanicals and the Quimper Coat of Arms.

Photo above: Back of the coupe (shown standing on the far left in photo). On the second shelf is one of my newest acquisitions, a Porquier-Beau coupe with the Coat of Arms of Brittany and Quimper. I have included a photo of the back of the coupe as it is the old, interesting way of molding the dish. The coffee pot, cups, and sugar bowl I purchased from Ann Marie O’Neill years ago and are Henriot. The salts are a love of mine and I try to buy them whenever I spot them . The large wedding platter was one of my first purchases from Mark and Adela Meadows. Mike cooked them a pasta dinner and I got to shop in their trailer that they packed for antique shows. We had such a fun evening and they stayed longer than they had planned as we had such a great time talking about Quimper. That evening started us on our hunt for Brittany furniture to accent our collection. The next two shelves display my collection of Santon dolls. I had a collection of dolls from the 1980-1990’s that I bought every time we went to France but when I saw this collection in a little brocante on the way to Provence, I couldn't resist!

Well, I should say I couldn’t resist but Mike could! We always said we had to agree on a purchase if it was over a set amount and while I haggled with the owner of the store, I couldn’t get her there, so sadly we left. When we arrived in Aix-en-Provence to stay for a week, we happened to visit a santon museum and there they were! Mike made the decision we must drive back to the little brocante and get them. Of course, carrying them home on the plane was the next challenge but they are here. I gave my original collection of newer santons to my friends who had always loved them. My two favorites: the man smoking the little pipe and the lady whose face is so full of character. I love their handmade clothes. Simone Jouglas, the santonnier, is quite famous for her work. Mike’s favorite is the baby Jesus as he is anatomically correct, and Mike loves to show the private details.

Photo right: bronze table, pastori figure, reliquary and Art Nouveau Austrian Loetz glass vase with bronze filigree finish. The small bronze table's patina is now blue from age. The table, although one of our favorites, was quite short. Our talented painter recreated the patina and attached three balls to the legs to raise the height of the table. Neapolitan figures, commonly made from terracotta with tailored clothes, date back for centuries and were most popular during King Charles III's reign. The religious ones, presepi, were created for nativity scenes while the pastori, such as ours, depicted non-religious characters (peasants, politicians, farmers, etc.). The reliquary is from 1784 and from the court of Charles V. It still has the red wax seal on the back with the writing of the person who made it

Next is the fireplace we found at a salvage shop. The original wall and fireplace were red brick to the ceiling and of course just weren’t French! We had all the brick removed, replastered the wall and then installed the fireplace. The walls were then all faux painted. Of course, then the fireplace begged for a mirror. Later we found the statue from Spain carved from wood, which my brother thinks is St. Xavier. It is from the 1800’s. The candlesticks are French brass, and the books are all antique from our families. I even had the autograph book from my mother, who was a singer. Inside this book are the signatures of Romanoff, Lawrence Tibbett, Lily Pons… notables of her time. I added Louis Armstrong when I saw him as a ten-year-old walking out of a concert at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco. He is still one of my favorite singers. The grandfather clock beside the fireplace is a French Morbier clock, circa 1775, and is our most prized grandfather clock find, due to the carving and its age. It has its original works that still chime on the hour, half hour, and then because it is a prayer clock, two minutes after the hour to signal prayer time is over. It takes Mike at least fifteen minutes every week to wind all the clocks. This one keeps perfect time! Morbier clock: (left) top, (right) bottom.

Next to the French doors are the chairs which have been re-upholstered, not only to compliment the Quimper but to reflect the Spanish 18th century leather screen on the hall wall. Right: Leather screen My favorite chair is the one with the lion heads on the arms. A French antique Amboise tapestry pillow sits on the other chair. Above the French doors are Italian moldings framing the large Porquier-Beau platter entitled Danse bretonne à Bannalec. It is aquarelle no. 122. Above the davenports are four Chateau doors, complete with their original paint. On either side of the antique mirror are gilded Italian antique moldings. The mirror was quite a challenge to hang as we had to center it, finding a stud in the wall, and then center the doors so that there was an opening between the two center panels to drill into the wall to hang the mirror. Mike did it with a friend and I held my breath as they lifted it into place!

The small round end tables beside the Davenport hold other treasures. On one table stands a young Italian girl carved from wood and made into a lamp. She is quite old and beautiful and has movable parts. Next to her is a Quimper Porquier-Beau clock in the form of a milestone, with its original movement. Depicted on the front are a man and woman standing with a view of the cathedral of Quimper on the horizon. The three crystal glasses are antique Czechoslovakia and are etched with a scene of a castle and a large bird. The smaller table in front holds a Porquier-Beau dish with a ceramic rope handle. Between the two davenports a round wine table showcases my favorite collection of Quimper that isn’t plates. The tall vase, inkwell, centered curved dish, and the middle-sized vase are all Porquier-Beau. The moon jardiniere with dragon handles is my absolute favorite piece if that is possible. It is from Valerie Howard and was featured in one of her catalogs. We corresponded over several pieces and discovered that we both had lived on Cavendish Lane (only in different parts of the world) and while Mike was a minister, one of her relatives was also a pastor. She was a wonderful gracious person and a great loss to the world of Quimper collectors. The middle-sized vase on the right has a wonderful scene of a crowd enjoying themselves.

Above: botanicals on reverse The jardiniere is labeled "Souben dar Maës" with "Fin de la Noce" (end of the wedding) underneath. The French Palissy fish plate is also a favorite as you can actually feel the scales on the fish. Also, there are two wonderful octopus cups (photo below) also French Palissy. The rooster behind these is majolica. Below left: PB pieces on the left with Palissy and majolica on the right. Below: PB aiguière .

Lastly in the center of the living room is a French table full of Porquier-Beau pieces, except for the St. Vierge statue which is Adolphe Porquier and so a treasure. The collection of secouettes or snuff bottles has been growing since COVID and meeting Lucy Williams. The four most prized are the Adolphe Porquier gourd-shaped snuff, the rare snuff/perfume labeled Mascotte with the wonderful girl painted on it, the HB frog snuff, and last the fun Malicorne fish whistle (rt), which I love to blow for friends. Below: Adolphe Porquier Saint Porquier-Beau pieces fill the table.

The Morbier grandfather clock with its beautiful carvings of a family scene is the center of attention as you enter the dining room. The clock is from Brittany, as are the buffet and vitrine. The workings are original and still chime on the hour and half hour, and of course since it is a prayer clock it chimes 2 minutes after the hour. When we have dinner parties everyone knows to quit talking as you can't hear above the chime, but we love it! Left: Morbier clock with close-up shown on the right. Above the dining room table is an antique French chandelier. The hand carved dining room table is by David Frères of Marseille. A brass medallion on one of the extensions that pulls out on either side of the table indicates the maker and the place of manufacture. The table seats six comfortably, perfect for our small house. This way we can have conversations that everyone can hear. The antique chairs are also French, with grape leaf carving and upholstered in complementary fabric for the Quimper. Above: Chair detail and antique chandelier. David Frères of Marseille dining table.

On the center of the table is a large silver tray featuring one of my favorite pieces: an HR fan jardiniere, 16”W by 11”H. I love the dolphins at the base. The two French silver salts, silver sugar shaker, and of course a bell to signify the beginning of dinner, complete this display. We light candles every night for dinner, so of course silver candlesticks are a must! There are matching candlesticks in the living room so when the table is extended for company, we can use them as well. The buffet sits next to the kitchen/breakfast doorway with the vitrine on the right in the picture. The buffet's lower shelf features another HR jardiniere, 10"H by 18"W. I love dragons and sea serpents. It has a Breton scene on one side and botanical decor on the other side. On either side shelf of the jardiniere is a pair of Henriot plates, with scenes of dancing couples on the left and musicians on the right. In front of these are Porquier-Beau pieces that are uniquely shaped. On the work surface in front of the jardiniere are a sterling silver asparagus server, fish knife, and fork. All are 12" and were bought in France near Conque at a chateau having a garage sale, believe it or not!

In the opening above the jardiniere is an HB star jardinière, complete with Brittany Crest on one side and men playing pétanque on the side facing the room. Two antique pétanque balls serve as door stoppers in two of our bathrooms. Inside the buffet is a complete place setting for 12 Soleil decor dishes, with serving pieces. We feel the theme of the carvings on the buffet match the dishes perfectly. The vitrine is surrounded on either side by plates mounted on the wall. Under these, two wooden shelves, also wall mounted, hold Henriot salts. PB plates and cornucopia wall pockets decorate the upper sections. Above: Porquier-Beau wall pocket pair. Below: PB plates. Photos above Top: PB botanicals with a bird (left) and blue cicadas (right). Bottom: above wooden shelves: L-R Planche #135 – Marchande d' œufs de Scaër Planche #2 - Douarnenez

Art de Cornouaille in Quimper had a platter identical to this one on display and we loved it. It was years later that we found this one. It is a 22" HB Quimper platter featuring a village celebration and truly the centerpiece for this display due to its size and the number of people depicted joyfully singing and dancing. The children's statues match the mother and father statues displayed in the main hall. They are 19" tall and are done by Quillivic. Sitting between them is a five-piece candelabra that matches the one on the coffee table in the living room. It was given to Mike by his church after serving there as pastor for 25 years. The vitrine holds Waterford millennium red wine, white wine, and iced tea glasses for 12. The bottom shelf contains an antique silver tea service consisting of coffee pot, teapot, creamer, and sugar, as well as a Waterford coaster and an etched Czechoslovakian water jug. The French Jacobin table holds a Swiss symphonia from 1885 with a beautifully embossed bird scene on top. We have 10 discs that we play for dinner parties. Silent Night is always a must for Christmas, and everyone looks forward to what we might play for them at the next dinner party. Above: Embossed bird scene on the Swiss symphonia.

Next to the symphonia is a large 19" Henriot jardiniere, which has a wonderful scene of couples listening to musicians on one side and a botanical on the other side. The two statues are from Henriot. The old lady figure is by Louis Henri Nicot, the mother and infant statue is by Marie-Renée Chevallier-Kervern. On a little wine shelf in this room are various wine tastevins and an English sterling silver fox wine opener. The wine glasses and decanter are antique Czechoslovakian. Above the shelf hangs one of our most precious pieces – a Porquier Beau mirror, 17 x 15 inches, depicting a couple who have been fishing and are taking their catch to market.

One last collection that my friends enjoy are my silver Victorian napkin rings. I have 12 of them and try each time we have a dinner party, to give a person a different ring. The other piece is a French bonbon holder. The rug is Sarouk from Iran, an antique like the living room rug. The view out the window of the dining room is of a German putti playing the harp. It is lit up at night and a beautiful sight for our company, whom we always place facing it at our dinner parties. Stay tuned for Part II where we begin with the kitchen tour! Editor: Nancy Duncan Layout: Lucy Williams