FaÏence et dévotion

The Notre-Dame de la Garde Museum invites you to discover a remarkable collection of Provençal faience from the 17th and 18th centuries, bearing witness to the dialogue between artistic creation and devotion. The Notre-Dame de la Garde Museum, in partnership with the Académie des Sciences, Lettres et Arts de Marseille, presents the exhibition “Faience and Devotion. Marseille – Moustiers, 17th–18th Centuries” on the occasion of the tercentenary of its foundation. This exhibition highlights an essential aspect of Provençal faience: its close connection with religious life and devotion. Nearly 150 pieces, from public and private collections and often previously unseen, illustrate the richness of production in Marseille and Moustiers: narrative dishes, apothecary jars, relief plaques, statues and holy-water fonts. Marseille workshops, particularly those of Saint-Jean-du-Désert and Joseph Fauchier, engage in dialogue with the Moustiers manufactories. Biblical decorations, sacred figures and religious emblems testify to a society deeply marked by faith. Displayed at the foot of the “Bonne Mère,” these works recall the central role of faience in the religious culture of Provence under the Ancien Régime. The exhibition is accompanied by an extensively illustrated publication with broad historical scope, bringing together specialists from different institutions and serving as a scholarly catalogue.