Plate

Art Historical Context

This elegant stoneware plate by French ceramicist André Metthey, in the years following World War I, exemplifies the quiet innovation in early 20th-century European. Measuring just 1 5/8 × 8 7/8 inches and weighing 1.5 pounds, its modest scale suggests it was designed as much for intimate display as practical use, bridging functionality and fine art. Post-WWI France saw a resurgence in ceramics as artists sought solace and renewal amid reconstruction. Metthey's choice of stoneware—a durable, high-fired clay that yields a robust, non-porous body—was significant, allowing for bold forms and subtle glazes that evoked both tradition and modernity. Acquired by The Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1922 through the Edward C. Moore Jr. Gift, this piece entered the museum's Modern and Contemporary Art collection early, highlighting the era's growing appreciation for pottery as a sculptural medium. Today, it invites visitors to ponder how everyday objects like this plate captured a nation's resilient spirit, blending French craftsmanship with the era's forward-looking ethos.