A look at the design, market and legacy of Victorian pottery

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Massier Takes its Place Among the Best



It's funny how things catch on in the antiques world. For many years absolutely no one paid attention to French majolica. It was purchased by a few collectors but largely ignored by the general majolica collecting population.
In the past few years that has changed dramatically.

While the Sarreguemines name always had some cache among majolica buyers, Massier is now one of the hottest names in majolica collecting.
The Dallas Auction Gallery sold a large Massier piece in May in the shape of a donkey for $3,500. The subject was unusual for Massier, which usually concentrates on flowers, frogs and birds, but the price is what surprised me. This firmly places Massier in the same price league as Minton and George Jones. That's sort of nice to see because Massier has a distinctly French look about it with a slightly rustic character, very different from the large English potteries.
It's a company that did beautiful work, so it's nice to see it finally being appreciated by the majolica community.

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