“The only known faience maker’s shop sign dated 1789.”

Rare and large reclining lion in Nevers faience, resting its paw on a sphere inscribed: “Mr CHEVALLIER MARCHAND DE FAYENCE A CHACE, 1789.”
The coat is rendered in ochre, the mouth highlighted with manganese purple, and the mound in green.
No other comparable example is known for a faience maker’s shop sign. The Chevallier family is a well documented dynasty of faience makers active in Nevers and Paris from the late 17th century onward.
Examples include Michel Chevallier, faience merchant recorded in 1695 in the rue de la Roquette in Paris, and Jean Chevallier (1706–1766), known for having acquired the famous “Ecce Homo” manufactory in 1746.
The rarity of this piece also lies in its date of manufacture — 1789, the first year of the French Revolution.