Now this is a fragment of history that almost caused Sylvie to drop her croissant when she saw it. Found in Villeneuve-lès-Avignon, this 18th-century blue-and-white tile was painted by hand with three little cherubs holding palm fronds, and signed by the artist in the bottom corner. The glaze has crazed and the corners have chipped, which is what happens to a piece of painted earthenware over two and a half centuries. Tiles like this were set into kitchen walls and fireplace surrounds, and the painter would have copied the scene from an old print. A signed one is rare. Sylvie places it behind the kitchen faucet with a row of French soaps, or hangs it on its own where you can see it from across the room.
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