Costrel made by the potter David Rapin junior from Payerne, Canton of Vaud, dated 1825 (in private collection in France, photos provided by the owner).
Andreas Heege, Pierre-Yves Tribolet, 2025
Dated and signed pottery from the Canton of Vaud is very rare indeed. A small costrel with polychrome underglaze brushwork has the following inscription on its back: “Fait / Par David Rapin / Fils Potier à Payerne / Canton de Vaud / en Suisse le 11eme / Juillet / 1825” (Made / By David Rapin / Junior Potter in Payerne / Canton of Vaud / in Switzerland on 11th / July / 1825). The front shows what appears to be a soldier armed with a lance.
Side view of the costrel/brandy flask with black dotted diamonds (private ownership in France, photos provided by the owner).
The side of the costrel has blackish brown dotted diamond shapes painted onto it, which shows that the potter was familiar with the decorations that were used on “Heimberg style” pottery, although he did not apply slip-trailed decoration but, rather, underglaze brushwork decoration.
So far, we have not been able to find any detailed information about a family of potters by the name of Rapin from Payerne. A search of 19th century records has revealed a journeyman potter by the name of Elie Frédéric Rapin (1808-1870) from Payerne, who worked for a potter called Hauser in Nidau for a period of five months in 1840 (register of journeymen). Searching the Internet for the name Elie Frédéric Rapin brings up a family from Corcelles pres Payerne that includes a Jean David Rapin (1765-1841) with a son by the name of Elie Frédéric Rapin (family tree). This is probably the potter who produced the costrel.
Any further information about this family of potters would be much appreciated.
