In Barbara Walker's mind, nothing compares to Quimper--pronounced "Camp-Air"--the colorful pottery from Brittany that first took her fancy at a tag sale in Newark, Del., years ago.
Now an antiques dealer in nearby Avondale, Pa., Walker, AS '77, CHEP '83M, is a world-renowned expert on the French pottery. Walker recently published Quest for Quimper, which combines the elements of a travel book and collectors' resource, complete with an alphabetized price list and more than 900 photographs. The book is based on 12 years of travel to France and Brittany, home of the faience de Quimper, by Walker and her husband, David Williamson.
She remembers well the day 14 years ago when she discovered Quimper at an estate sale in the home of a Newark High School French teacher.
"There were these breathtaking plates in the middle of the kitchen table," she recalls. "I didn't buy them, but the next day, I saw them again in an antique shop. The owner had purchased them from a picker, and I thought, 'Wow! These things have sold twice in 24 hours!'
"The next day, I went to the Wilmington Antiques Show and a woman there had an entire booth dedicated to Quimper."
Walker was hooked. In those pre-Internet days, she began collecting the pottery at antique shops and shows throughout the country. Slowly, she began to buy and sell Quimper.
Williamson, meantime, was becoming an avid camera collector. When he took early retirement from the DuPont Co., the two began to rent space in local antique shops to market their wares. Eventually, Walker left her job and the couple, who live in Hockessin, Del., purchased an old mill on Route 41 just north of Avondale and turned it into a gallery known as Antiques & Images. In addition to furniture, folk art and accessories, Walker has more than 100 pieces of Quimper displayed for sale, and Williamson displays nearly 100 vintage cameras from his 1,000-plus collection.
How can Walker put a price tag on items she loves?
"That's the difference between David and me," she explains. "He is a true collector. I just love this pottery and have some tucked away in boxes under the bed or in cabinets. But, I'm content to own something for a while as I get to understand it, and then I can let it go. Then, of course, I find I want different types of Quimper. I think what I really collect are ideas."
The book began as letters to Williamson's Aunt Kay in Rochester, N.Y., who enjoyed hearing of the couple's adventures in France as they traveled from rural fairs to the flea markets of Paris in search of the unique pottery. Along the way, they fell in love, not just with Quimper, but with the people, history and culture of the Brittany.
"Quimper, which has been made for more than 300 years, really tells the history of Brittany," Walker says. "There is such variety in the decorations on the many pieces. It chronicles the native dress and legends of the area."
Pieces made during the German occupation, for example, are not made with the same quality as pieces made during times of peace. Pieces decorated with Celtic symbols are likely to come from the Breton cultural revival of the 1920s.
After 12 years of learning about Quimper, the couple made a pre-publication trip to France so Williamson could take photos for the book. As a result, photographs of exquisite pieces of pottery usually carefully stored in museums and in private collections abound. After Walker wrapped up some last-minute interviews, the couple headed home, where she closeted herself from January until May working on the book.
In December 2001, Schiffer Publishing released the book, which has caused quite a stir in the world of Quimper. Because the Internet has so changed the face of collecting, Williamson included a chapter about Internet buying of Quimper.
"The net really has opened up a whole new world for collectors," Walker says. "We used to drive 100 miles just to look at one piece. Now, we can see it in a flash on the computer."
To learn more about Walker and Quimper, Williamson and cameras, visit their web site [www.QuestforQuimper.com].
--Beth Thomas