Round dish with lobster and shells

ca. 1870–80

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 530

Thomas-Victor Sergent trained as a ceramicist under his father-in-law Victor Barbizet, a Parisian artisan who specialized in pieces inspired by Bernard Palissy. In this circular dish, Sergent deviates from Barbizet’s simpler format of a fish on a platter, choosing instead to encrust the entire surface of the delicately painted dish with cockles and mollusks, along with a camouflaged lobster hidden in the center.

Artwork Details

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

Title: Round dish with lobster and shells
Maker: Thomas-Victor Sergent (French, ca. 1830–ca.1890)
Date: ca. 1870–80
Culture: French
Medium: Glazed earthenware with applied decoration
Dimensions: Confirmation: 3 3/8 × 11 7/8 × 11 11/16 in. (8.6 × 30.2 × 29.7 cm)
Classification: Ceramics-Pottery
Credit Line: Gift of Wallis Katz, in memory of Marshall Katz, and in celebration of the Museum's 150th anniversary, 2020
Object Number: 2020.86.2
Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

More Artwork

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Oval platter with lobster, Thomas-Victor Sergent French, Glazed earthenware, French — Oval platter with lobster
Thomas-Victor Sergent
1870–80

Large basin with snake, ferns, and bark, Charles-Jean Avisseau French, Glazed earthenware, French — Large basin with snake, ferns, and bark
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ca. 1850–1855

Large Platter with Fish, Victor Barbizet French, Glazed earthenware, French — Large Platter with Fish
Victor Barbizet
Achille Barbizet
ca. 1855–1875

Charger with flowers and butterflies, Edmond Lachenal French, Earthenware, French, Paris — Charger with flowers and butterflies
Edmond Lachenal
Joseph-Théodore Deck
ca. 1870–80

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ca. 1885–90

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