1900s ~ "Proverb and Military" Series GIEN ~ French Antique Ironstone Collectible Talking Plate ~ Terre De Fer

This set of 7 lovely colorful French Antique Decorative Collectible Talking Plates "Assiette Parlante" in French.    Made by famous French manufacturer of Earthware Faience "GIEN" France, circa second half of the 1900s.   

Decorated Polychrome and stamped GIEN on each plate Illustrated by Copeland. There is a round storage case for the plates with the cover on the box showing scene N# 8 printed on thin paper.

The subject matter theme is of the series “Proverbes et militaires” and each plate has a different scene phase as shown and translated from French to English below:

N° 7 "La gloire n'est presque que poussière et fumée "
The glory is not almost dust and smoke.

N° 8 "Il n'y a que le premier pas qu'il coûte "
It is only the first step that costs.

N° 9 "Il y a loin de la soupe aux lèvres "
It is far from the soup to the lips.

N° 10 "L'obéissance est la première vertu du soldat "
Obedience is the first virtue of the soldier.

N° 11 "Qui plus haut monte, plus lourdement tombe "
Who goes higher, more heavily falls.

N° 12 "A force de marcher on fait beaucoup de chemin "
By force of walking we made a long way.

They make a great collectors plate. You can hang it one the wall for decoration or use it with anything for serving appetizers, dessert or finger food at a dinner parties.

--- Condition ---

They are overall in lovely vintage condition due to the age there are certainly signs of usage such as faint pattern bleeding and fading in certain spots, manufacturing marks and surface bumps, they all have signs of crazing in the surface as shown in the photos (refer to the collage). The storage cover is sturdy but the paper showing the scene is aged, torn, marked, missing pieces at the edges and not glued to the surface. Please take a look at the photos closely and use zoom for detail.

**Special Note about aged Porcelain**
If you are not accustomed to this ‘look’, google crazing and the aging process of porcelain. The Japanese use crazing to add an artistic look to their pieces whereas antiques go through the natural aging process. Crazing is cracking in the surface of the plate due to use sometimes it's even and is called the crackle look and other times it is random.

These items are old, were used and were manufactured at a time when processes were less under control as today. Therefore, in addition to the defects identified and reported in the ad, slight dimensional differences or deviations in the color or in the decoration between the different parts could be noted. Besides, some little marks or small manufacturing imperfections such as minor defects in the glaze or in the varnish etc., may also be observed.

--- Measurements & Weight ---

Approximately 20 cm diameter x 2 cm height & 325 grams each (2375 grams in total) not including the packaging weight.

--- Additional Notes ---

All items are of vintage quality and will show some signs of age. As it is my main priority to have very happy customers, I try my best to inspect, clean and describe very carefully the vintage condition of my product listings and any exceptional wear on a piece. If you have any doubt, please do not hesitate to contact me directly, I prefer to provide you with as much detail to ensure your complete satisfaction.

If by chance you receive an item you are unhappy with it in any way, please contact us immediately and I will do our utmost to resolve the problem. On the other hand, if you are happy, I would also love to know and very much appreciate you leaving a review on my shop page!!

I also welcome special requests that I can keep in mind when sourcing for my shop.

----- Additional Shipping information ----

I ship all my products using the French Postal Service (La Poste). For larger items, I ship using Colissimo (La Poste International service) which includes tracking, minimum insurance and estimated delivery dates (which is normally faster than the processing times in my policy section). If you want additional information about insurance or tracking for smaller items, please contact me for details on the supplemental change. 

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I am also willing to use Happy Post upon request and where ship location is offered in their service plan.  

All items are shipped from France to all over the world and I welcome multiple orders to consolidate shipments to help reduce shipping fees, where possible.

To be economically responsible and not charge handling fees, when available, I try to use recycled materials for my packaging while being mindful that the materials are suitable to ensure the safest expedition to protect your purchase during the delivery process. I pack very carefully, especially fragile items, but I do check to make sure I'm using the most cost-efficient method.