Figure of the Day: The Orange Girl, 1770-1784

The Orange Girl
Niderviller Pottery Factory
France, 1770-1884
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Here’s another attractive French porcelain figure which, once, would have graced an elegant dining table in a wealthy household. She would have once been joined by similarly attired figures, but now, she stands alone.

With her pyramid of oranges supported on a tray, she’s clearly an orange seller. Given her station, however, she’s dressed quite well--in that fantastical way in which peasants were portrayed in these figure.

This is the work of the Niderviller Pottery and Porcelain Factory, dating somewhere between 1770 and 1784.