Henri Lambert was a French ceramic artist associated with a number of manufacturers including Haviland and Company, and like Félix Bracquemond (see 2018-6-38, for example), he was similarly inspired by Japanese prints and objects. Lambert most likely worked from preparatory drawings and then hand painted his compositions in enamel colors directly on the unglazed plates, which were then covered with clear glaze and fired. All three of Lambert’s rare services take images or compositions directly from ukiyo-e prints and other Japanese designs. The images of the crane and pink blossoms on this plate were inspired by and copied almost exactly from volume 7 of Hokusai’s Manga (Sketches) of 1817.

The two larger services were produced by Lebeuf, Milliet et Cie at Creil-Montereau. This plate belongs to a third known, smaller service made by Hautin et Boulenger at Choisy-le-Roi for Escalier de Cristal, a well-known shop in Paris that sold luxury objects in porcelain, crystal, and bronze as well as furniture.