Trompe-l’œil asparagus tray in Sceaux faience

Deep circular tray with contoured rim in Faïence de Sceaux earthenware, decorated in naturalistic polychrome with floral bouquets and four opposing bundles of asparagus in relief, depicted in trompe-l’œil and painted in shades ranging from light to dark green, heightened with manganese purple.

Circa 1755

The bouquets and combed motifs painted along the rim reprise the floral decoration and ornamental vocabulary characteristic of Sceaux. The rendering of the asparagus surface, with the irregularities and reliefs typical of the vegetable, is highly naturalistic, as are the gradations of green tones.

Faïence de Sceaux produced in this manner numerous vegetables, notably cabbages, as well as animals, often forming tureens, following a fashion that originated in Strasbourg.