A French four-handled tin-glazed earthenware flask with hand-painted blue and green scrolling flowers, vines and seated winged figures and a gilded upper rim. Historically, these decorations, known as ''grotesques'', originated from the painted fantasies that covered the walls and ceilings of ancient Rome''s palaces. The original of this flack was made by Masseot Abaquesne (c. 1500-1564). He was a faience manufacturer of Rouen, France between 1535 and 1557. He had known as the maker of the remarkable paving in the Chateau de Ecouen, which has been attributed both to Luca della Robbia and Palissy. Also he made a large number of pharmacy jars. Rouen''s faience industry, considered to be the most important and oldest ceramics centre in France, got its start in the 16th century with Masseot Abaquesne, a native of Cherbourg and France''s first grand-maitre faïencier. Masseot Abaquesne was probably introduced to ...