Of all the porcelain items ever decorated by Atelier Le Tallec, perhaps one of the most symbolic forms was the lidded apothecary jar or Pot à Pharmacie. Many of Camille Le Tallec’s earliest watercolour designs were of such pots, inspired by beautiful eighteenth and nineteenth century pieces in books and museums.
So when Camille Le Tallec was commissioned by the Présidence de la République Française in 1980 to produce a gift worthy of cementing the political bond between France and West Germany, represented respectively by Valéry Giscard d’Estaing and Helmut Schmidt, the classic Pot à Pharmacie was chosen and would bear a unique design together with the French and West German crests proudly applied in raised gilding.
This unique jar was presented during a state visit to Bonn in July 1980. The visit was especially significant as it marked the first state visit by a French leader to West Germany in some 18 years. The porcelain jar has a cylindrical body, decorated with a continuous coastal port scene, and the lid features the device for the République Française opposite the West German eagle coat of arms, both in gilt on a blue ground. The base is inscribed with the Le Tallec mark, date cypher, decorator’s initials and descriptive text.
Item: Apothecary jar / Pot à Pharmacie
Commissioned for: Présidence de la République Française
Maker: Atelier Le Tallec, Paris
Gifted by: Valéry Giscard d’Estaing
Gifted to: Helmut Schmidt
Date of Gift: July 1980
Height: 31cm
Provenance: Acquired from vendor of direct descent from Helmut Schmidt. Currently part of our collection.
Helmut Schmidt and Valéry Giscard d’Estaing were two leading figures in European and international politics. For decades they were joined by a strong bond of friendship. In the 1970s, they controlled the fates of their citizens as the German Chancellor and the French President respectively. For years, their friendship shaped Europe’s development and provided important stimuli in international politics. Once, as soldiers during the Second World War, they were enemies; then, after the war, they became friends; and eventually they ended up as allies at the heads of their respective countries. Working together harmoniously as a team, they set up the European Council, started the G6 summit meetings and launched the European Monetary System. Together they worked hard to build the foundations of today’s European Union.
