Plates with Japonism scenes, enameled earthenware, Vieillard manufactory, circa 1880

These plates are part of the production of the manufacture Jules Vieillard & Cie, founded in Bordeaux in 1845, which was among the most active French workshops in the interpretation of ceramic Japonisme during the last quarter of the 19th century. The decoration is the work of Amédée de Caranza, head of the workshop from 1878, who contributed greatly to the development of orientalist and Japonisme-inspired production, as well as to the development of raised outlined enamel techniques that established the reputation of the manufactory.

The source of inspiration for some of these pieces is clearly identifiable: Hokusai's Manga, which circulated widely in Europe from the 1860s onwards. De Caranza extracted figures from them, combining and reintegrating them into a reimagined decorative scheme, with a layout that echoes the aesthetic of the Japanese woodblock print