Vintage French Folk Art Terracotta Platter

We found this one in France and loved it immediately. The decoration has that wonderfully naïve quality we look for in French folk pottery, with two stylised yellow birds facing one another above a central flower, trailing leaves and little blue blooms.

At the bottom sits a bold heart motif, while the edge is finished with bands of yellow and dark brown. The platter itself has a warm reddish terracotta ground, with small impressed marks running around the inner border.

It's a lovely piece to display rather than hide away in a cupboard. Prop it on a dresser or kitchen shelf, hang it as part of a collection of old plates and platters, or simply lean it against a wall amongst pottery and artwork.

• French folk art pottery platter
  
• Terracotta
  
• Hand decorated

Good condition for its age, with the irregularities, variations in glaze and small signs of wear you would expect from an older hand-decorated piece. Please see photographs for full condition.

The colours are brilliant, but it's really those two slightly wonky birds that make it for us. It has a lovely naïve quality and looks fantastic propped amongst old pottery in a kitchen.