Posted 09 June 2012 - 07:22 PM
The vessels are French and are called 'biberons' meaning bottles or drinking vessels, the word is now used to indicate 'baby bottles'. Babies could never have been fed from these ceramic vessels they would have been injured for sure.
The vessels are of the 16th century, of Saint Porchaire a region in France. There are only 60 pieces in the world. The exact location of the kilns and makers names are not exactly known however the ware has the provenance of royal association; the arms of Kings Henri II and Frances I, the High Constable Anne De Montmorency are located on the backs and bottoms of some of the ware.
This information is culled from- The Art of Ceramics; European Ceramic Design 1500-1830 by Howard Coutts
It is a good book with lots of color photos and interesting text.
INRI