Nevers Faience Plate A faience plate from Nevers dating back to the late 18th century. Dated 1766. A hollow plate with a patronymic decoration at the center depicting Saint Claude on a mound, inscribed: Claude Laurent. By "patronymic faience," we mean a piece whose personalized decoration associates a first name, a surname, and a date with the image of a patron saint. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the immense religious fervor enjoyed by saints gradually loses its intensity: if they are mentioned in patronymic faiences, it is more out of habit and respect for tradition than from conviction. They are depicted with distinctive attributes that recall their function or the most significant episodes of their lives or martyrdom, symbolized by a palm. The images, of which it is hardly possible to determine the direct origin, are borrowed from a typology derived from the most conventional hagiographic iconography, which was also used at the same time in statuary, paintings, and engravings. It is certain that marriages, their celebration or commemoration, constituted the main occasion for such commissions. Numerous examples documented by archives show that the inscribed date corresponds in most cases to the manufacturing date of the piece, with a delay of about six months relative to the event being celebrated. These plates were most often ordered in several copies, with numbers varying from two to six, and occasionally reaching a dozen, and they were given as gifts to loved ones. Finally, it seems evident that in a domestic universe poor in images, their function was essentially commemorative and decorative, and the plates were typically placed in the china cabinet, while the bowls could be hung on the wall thanks to two holes on the back provided for that purpose. Saint Claude Bishop of Besançon. Initially a soldier, he embraced monastic life at Condat in Jura before being elected bishop of Besançon. But as soon as he could, he resigned this position to return to solitude. His monastery and the nearby village took his name, and the diocese placed itself under his patronage: 500 years after his death, thanks to the intact preservation of his body, many pilgrims flock to the abbey where miracles abound. The pilgrimage to Saint-Claude then enjoys a reputation equal to that of Lourdes today. Notable pilgrims include King Louis XI, Saint Jeanne de Chantal, and Saint Francis de Sales. The body of the saintly miracle worker is displayed twice a day for the piety of visitors who kiss his hands and feet. Numerous miracles are recorded in manuscripts and attested by the presence of witnesses, including that of a dead child brought back to life. This is why Saint Claude is often depicted with a child. With the French Revolution, an iconoclastic madness overtakes the representatives of the people. The body of Saint Claude was burned in 1794; only the left forearm survived, authenticated by one of the doctors who had examined the body fifty years earlier. This forearm is still preserved today in a reliquary in the cathedral. Condition: a piece of the edge of the wing has been re-glued, small chip on the edge. Diameter: 23.5 cm Height: 4 cm Country of origin: France