1950s Pottery Dish by Siméon Roussin with Handwritten Alexandre Dumas Quote - 10¼"

This charming small earthenware dish was made in the Dieulefit pottery region in the early 1950s and is signed by the potter Siméon Roussin (1879–1959) beneath the base. Hand-crafted with a gently shaped outline, it is covered in a warm ochre glaze whose subtle tonal variations move from straw yellow and honey to slightly deeper, smoky areas. Across the center, a proverb is freely handwritten in dark brown: « Le Bon Dieu pêche les âmes à la ligne… Le Diable les pêche au filet. », loosely translated as “The Good Lord fishes for souls with a line; the Devil catches them with a net.” Its handmade construction means the dish is not completely flat and has a subtle wobble when placed on a surface, part of its artisanal character.

Handwritten sayings and aphorisms appear on a number of pieces associated with Siméon Roussin’s workshop, where simple ceramic forms were often given an individual, almost conversational character through freely written inscriptions and modest painted decoration. The phrase itself, « Le Bon Dieu pêche les âmes à la ligne… Le Diable les pêche au filet », is attributed to the celebrated French writer Alexandre Dumas (1802-1870), adding a witty literary note as well as a moral reflection: virtue works patiently, one soul at a time, while temptation can ensnare many at once.

A similar dish by the same potter, with a different saying, is also available here.