Beautiful set of 24 vintage dinner plates decorated with water lilies or blue lotuses, produced by the Clairefontaine earthenware factory.
Stamped on the reverse: Terre de Fer - LG - Egyptien
"Terre de Fer" or « Ironstone » is fine earthenware, that mixes feldspar and kaolin thus making it whiter and more resistant. It was created in France around 1770, and became very popular after the industrial revolution.
"Terre de Fer" was used by many earthenware factories, particularly in Haute Saône (France). The the anchor stamp indicates the Clairefontaine earthenware factory.
We can identify when these plates were manufactured thanks to the initials LG (Léon Graves) stamped on the reverse. Léon Graves managed the Clairefontaine factory between 1894 and 1913.
This set shows traces of the past : cracks and a few chips.
(24 x dinner plate) D 24.2 cm
(presentation plate) 30 cm
English 
French