Antique French Terre de Fer Bird Salad Plate

Terre de fer (literally “iron earth”) is the French term for a dense, durable form of earthenware similar to English ironstone china. Developed in the early 19th century, it was prized for its ability to combine the strength of stoneware with the refined, elegant look of porcelain. French potteries produced terre de fer in a wide range of shapes and decorative styles, from richly patterned transferware to hand-painted services.

By the mid-to-late 1800s, red, blue, sepia, and even purple transfer printing had become especially popular, with intricate botanical, landscape, and avian scenes adorning tableware. The fine, close-grained clay body provided an ideal surface for crisp transfer impressions, allowing detailed motifs to remain vivid over time.