two glazed earthenware floor tiles from pré d'auge or manerbe, late 16th-early 17th century With blue, green, ochre, white and manganese decoration, composed of a succession of seven elements laid one on top of the other: a rectangular base with triangular sides decorated on the front with a female head bearing a strawberry and on the sides with braces, a baluster-shaped ring, an ovoid vase decorated with two angels' heads with drapery and separated by braces, a baluster-shaped ring, a frieze of fruit and interspersed lilies, a plant frieze, and finally a bird on a ball; some restorations and missing parts; later wooden mounts have been added. Total height: approx. 110 cm (43 ¼ in.) Provenance: Bachelier Collection (1862-1947) and by descent. Two Pre d'Auge or Manerbe glazed earthenware roof ornaments, late 16th-early 17th century This type of decorative piece, produced in Normandy in the department of Calvados and more specifically around Lisieux, at Le Pré d'Auge and Manerbe, is a blend of Italian and French influences from the Renaissance and earlier periods, enhanced by local creations. For a commentary on these productions and illustrations of a set of finials in the same spirit, see Etienne Deville, La céramique du Pays d'Auge, l'Art de terre à Manerbe et au Pré-d'Auge, Paris, 1927, Pl. VII-X. Louise Vuillermoz's final year dissertation in 2021 for the Institut National du Patrimoine, Département des Restaurateurs, on the restoration of the finial in the collections of the Musée de Picardie in Amiens, is also full of lessons. Some examples are held by institutions such as the Musée du Petit-Palais (from the Dutuit collection; Inv. ODUT1164), the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire de Lisieux (Inv. 2652), the Musée de Picardie in Amiens (Inv. M.P. 3053.A121.43), and the Musée du Vieux Honfleur. Two others are in the collections of the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lille, one of which is illustrated in the exhibition catalogue L'Europe de la Faïence, XVIIe et XVIIIe siècles, dans les collections du Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lille, Lille, 1990, p. 101, no. 128. For two other models in the same spirit, with portraits of Henry IV and Catherine de Médicis, see the Sotheby's New York sale of 29 January 1999.