Plate with a scene from Métamorphoses du Jour (plate 37)

Creil|J. J. Grandville

ca. 1830–40 · Glazed earthenware with transfer-printed decoration · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Creil’s usage of popular prints as decoration is in sharp contrast to the highly regimented and controlled forms of decoration used on porcelains made at the state-run factory of Sèvres, which specialized in diplomatic services and pieces made for a wealthy clientele. Here, Creil incorporated the image from plate 37 of Grandville’s popular lithograph series, Les Métamorphoses du jour (1829), which used animal caricatures to mock French society. France’s legal system is the target of this satire. In this image, a cockatoo lawyer pleads the case of his goat-headed client before a group of sleeping animal judges, while a feline clerk takes notes.

Artist

Creil|J. J. Grandville

Date

ca. 1830–40

Medium

Glazed earthenware with transfer-printed decoration

Culture

French, Creil

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

Gift of Lola Finkelstein, 2021