French earthenware fountain and cover, late 18th-early 19th - Lot 105

French earthenware fountain and cover, late 18th-early 19th century, possibly Meillonnas Of double baluster and arched form, the body applied with a shell for the tap, the handles and grips in the form of vine branches, with blue, green, ochre, iron red and manganese decoration of bunches of flowers, an original hole at the base for the drainage of the bottom of the body; the lid with crack and section of the inner edge restored, the body with broken handle reattached and small cracks; chips and scratches; consolidated blows between the base and the body; a basin in pieces with coat-of-arms decoration is added H. of body with lid: approx. 101cm. Provenance: Possibly from the Château de Malesherbes, having belonged to the de Lamoignon de Malesherbes family, confiscated during the French Revolution and sold as national property; and possibly purchased at these sales along with other furniture by François-Louis Hutteau (1729-1807) who had a house built on part of the Château de Malesherbes grounds, and mentioned in an 1820 inventory, located in the entrance to this house, as a "Strasbourg earthenware fountain". The last of the Hutteau family died without issue, and the property was purchased furnished by Charles Combe (1845-1937); the fountain remained in his family until around 2021. For a set of pieces decorated with flowers in the same spirit, with similar vine branches, see Mesdames Poiret and Nivière, La faïence de Meillonnas 1760-1845, Tours, 1993, pp.84, 92, 108, 113. The same publication mentions the existence of a production of large-format pieces, including fountains, until the 1830s-40s; a 75 cm. high example is illustrated on page 184. The coat of arms and the anchor on the basin may correspond to two families who successively owned the Château de Malesherbes: the Malet de Graville family (one of whose members was an admiral in the 15th century) and the Balzac d'Entragues family.