Set of Four Late 19th-Century “Assiettes Parlantes” Dessert Plates w/ Scenes from the Life of Victor Hugo - 8"

Set of four French assiettes parlantes dessert plates by the Vieillard manufactory in Bordeaux, dating to the late 19th century. Made in glazed faïence and transfer-printed in _grisaille_ on a warm cream ground, each plate depicts a vignette from the life of Victor Hugo: his birthplace in Besançon, his birth, his family with grandchildren, and his triumphant return to Paris in September 1870. The broad rims are adorned with a lively frieze of theatrical trophies featuring masks, lyres, books, laurel wreaths, and ribbons framed by a fine geometric border. The set displays age-appropriate craquelure and light toning, with one plate bearing old staple restorations visible on the reverse.

Assiettes parlantes are French “talking plates,” typically 19th-century faïence pieces decorated with transfer-printed scenes with inscriptions to educate and amuse at the table. Jules Vieillard & Cie in Bordeaux was renowned for its precise grisaille transferwork and popular literary series, reflecting the period’s taste for illustrated histories. The restrained monochrome palette recalls contemporary engravings, while the theatrical trophies along the rim nod to Hugo’s celebrated career as a dramatist as well as a poet and novelist. Among France’s greatest literary figures, Victor Hugo was the author of Notre-Dame de Paris and Les Misérables, an ardent republican who denounced the death penalty, lived in exile from 1851 to 1870, and returned to Paris as a national icon, honored with a state funeral in 1885.

Mounted as a quartet on a wall, these plates create a striking monochrome panel in a library, study, or hallway, especially above a writing desk or bookcase. They sit equally well on a kitchen dresser or open shelving, bringing literary charm to everyday settings, and they pair beautifully with other black-and-white transferware. For occasional use, they make engaging dessert plates for a themed supper, adding a cultured note to a dining room grounded in Napoleon III or eclectic interiors.