A glazed earthenware pitcher and saucer, decorated with modeled and applied figures of lizards, a frog, and a turtle from the workshop of Manuel Mafra and Sons, Caldas, Portugal, circa 1890. Manuel Mafra was the leading Portugese Palissy-ware maker of the 19th century. Portuguese Palissy-ware differs considerably from French examples, thanks to the work of Manuel Mafra whose pioneering style of the medium featured a distinctive usage of moss as a decorative bed for fish, lizards, and insects, a style quickly adopted by other Portuguese manufacturers of Palissy-ware. In 1887, his son Edouardo Augusto joined the business for a time but left for a political career.
Palissy ware is a 19th-century term for ceramics produced in the style of the famous 16th-century French potter Bernard Palissy.
Marked: 'M. MAFRA, FILHO', 'Filho' being Portugese for 'Sons'. 'CALDAS PORTUGAL'.
The crown mark indicates a date after 1870 when Mafra achieved royal patronage. (impressed)
Dimensions: 32cm H x 23.5 cm W (Combined bowl and jug)