Deep dish

The plate is decorated with a miniature scene set in a landscape. Its content is explained by the inscription on the back – L'Enfent et le Maitre d'Ecole [The Child and the Teacher], which is the title of one of La Fontaine's fables. A boy playing by the river fell into the water and, grasping a willow branch, called for help. By chance, a teacher happened to be passing by. Before helping him, however, he made a long speech in which, at the risk of letting him drown in the process, he reproved the child's lack of prudence. We see him standing on the shore, dressed in a toga and biretta. The rod in his hand indicates that he is in the habit of administering punishment immediately, and he does not rush to help. The moral of the fable is contained in its last sentence: ‘First, my brother, get me out of the water, and the sermon you will say later’ (translated by W. Noskowski). Its meaning goes beyond children's games and concerns various moralists ready to repair the world with mere talk.

As was customary, the painter of this scene used a graphic pattern. The representation was taken from the first edition of La Fontaine's Selected Fables, published in 1668. The author of the illustrations contained therein was the famous French graphic artist, Francois Chauveau (1613-1676), who practised mainly the etching technique and specialised in illustrating books. He left over one thousand six hundred works. The fact that in 1662 Louis XIV bestowed upon him the title of the royal engraver and granted him a pension for life is the best indication of how highly he was regarded.

Barbara Czajkowska