Old earthenware plate from Auxerre depicting a hot air balloon beautifully decorated with colorful mosaics.

19th century period.
In the gondola, a man waves.

On both sides of the hot air balloon, it says: Sic itur ad astra

Sic itur ad astra is a Latin phrase meaning "Thus one rises to the stars" or "Thus one reaches the heavens".

It is a quote from Virgil found in line 641 of Book IX of the Aeneid.

This phrase has often been taken as a motto: "Sic itur ad astra" is the motto given by Louis XVI in 1783 to the Montgolfier family, the two Montgolfier brothers who gave their name to the hot air balloon;

The rim of the plate is decorated with a black border and flowers alternating with 2 yellow pompoms and 3 blue and red pompoms.

Plate in good condition with a small chip and crack.

Dimension: 23cm

Height: 3cm

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