antique French faience majolica barbotine raised moulded plate with handpainted and sponged child and heron

Antique Majolica or French faience plate or shallow bowl with moulded rim design, and featuring a central scene of a child greeting a heron in the water reeds, naively hand painted and with sponge decoration in the background.

The item is most likely from the Nineteenth Century, and is probably French in origin.
The glaze has some slight crackling, the design of flowers and possibly hearts around the border is raised and painted in underglaze colours of ombre blue/green while the centre decoration has been applied by hand on a pale stone ground. There is an old stained crack to this item, clearly seen in the photos. I cannot discern any makers mark or factory stamp for this item.
The hand painted child and bird are in underglaze colours of blue-green, deep red and brown, the child's body is outlined in black using the background colour for skin tones.
Bright green and purple decoration to indicate foliage and horizon is applied using a sponge.
A very interesting piece showing numerous ceramic decoration techniques, perhaps an apprentice piece?
Size of this item approx 28cm diameter and 5cm deep.


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