A porcelain plaque painted with nesting birds.

[pillarboxred]

Looking over my posts, I am in a moany slough. All I need to do is stub my toe to complete the set. But here is better news. A finely painted circa 1900 large (12 inches) plaque with very lively bird painting. Does anyone know where this came from? The only marks are impressed "P", "L" and "4"; only the "L" being really distinct. I am thinking French or German. Any theories? Thank you for looking. Oh, and if you can ID the bird and the pink flower you will have done your good deed for the day. 

[Anonymous]

Not an expert, but I've had similar plates from Germany circa 1910. Mine were just flowers and mostly roses. I think they were made using transfer prints that were taken from real life black and white photographs. The transfers were then tinted and perhaps embellished to give a painterly feel.

Have you looked under the metal holder for more marks?

[little.font.lord.leroy]

It's a masterful painting.

The birds look like a species of killdeer.  The leaves look like oak, perhaps unrelated to the flowers, but a sprouting acorn. Since the birds are nesting, the flowers should be a spring bloom, they look like a Red Campion, which are actually pink.

If I were to guess, I would say English. I don't believe it's a factory piece, per say, but an artist's piece made in a studio, perhaps sold in a department store that specialized in luxury goods. The hanger looks original.

[c*me*4*lefton*info]

I know nothing of this topic.But am offering a suggestion only.

The first thing to cross my mind was JPL. Search ebay for JPL porcelain and compare this to the things found in the search, many nature scenes (flowers and such).  Just a suggestion.

[pillarboxred]

I daren't; many a plaque is chipped in removing metal hangers. The painting is so skilled that I did wonder about there being a faint under print to guide but finely painted ceramics do exist too. I have no doubt a photo reference would have been used whether or not the work is all free hand or not. The academic style reminds me of German wildlife artists of circa 1900. I remember a German nature book I had in the 1980s with chromos from the paintings of someone eminent. The metal mount is of a high-quality type, not just twisted wire. I'll get my loupe out to have another look.

[pillarboxred]

No sign of under printing. The  brushwork is so varied and skilled that I think that even if some sort of printed guide was faintly applied the final effect depends on the hand painting. At that time, academically trained painters probably numbered the tens of thousands in Europe at that time and were employed in the printing industries, advertising, textiles, ceramics, architecture and so on. Today, you would find it hard to find, even among professional fine artists, anyone with the skills routinely demonstrated on Victorian porcelain. As Academic Art went out of fashion such plates as this probably declined in value as they were seen as "too photographic". 

[pillarboxred]

Red Campion, yes, it does look familiar. I have never heard of killdeer let alone species of it. I'll google it. Your comments about the likely retail context look right. There were also large, national competitions and exhibitions of plaque painting which are hard to imagine today. Thank you.

[pillarboxred]

Yes, Pouyat certainly retained the kind of able staff who could execute such work. As a mark format, having the L for Limoges in the middle is possibly OK.

[pillarboxred]

I've looked up "killdeer", an American species in all its forms. I think it might be European but if it's not a robin, thrush or starling I am stuck. Maybe a sparrow? Common little brown birds, they have a wide variety of markings. We are seeing far fewer of our common birds in Britain; they are not really common anymore.

[maxine*j]

It is definitely not a killdeer, a kind of plover near and dear to my heart.  

With the tail cocked like that, the modest plumage, and the shape of the beak,  my first guess would be a wren of some sort.