LONDON, ENGLAND.-The Art Fund has given a grant to the Bowes Museum, County Durham, towards the purchase of a portrait by Paul Helleu painted on a ceramic plaque by Theodore Deck. The Art Fund contributed £12,500 towards the total cost of £25,000. Additional funding came from the MLA/V&A Purchase Grant Fund.

The plaque depicts a contemporary lady in outdoor dress, against a background in the Japanese manner. It seems to be influenced by the work of Manet, who exhibited a series of ladies against decorative backgrounds in the 1880s, and Tissot, who depicted the everyday life of Parisian women. The plaque is thought to date from around 1885 when Helleu was closest to the Impressionist movement.

The acquisition of the plaque marks a step forward in the collecting policy of The Bowes Museum. Impressionist works would almost certainly have featured in the collections if not for the untimely death of founder Joséphine Bowes in 1874 – the year of the first Impressionist Exhibition. John and Joséphine Bowes lived at the heart of the Impressionist movement in France. Sisley painted their house at Louveciennes, Pissarro painted the adjacent streets, and Monet painted a bridge John Bowes helped build at Bougival. This item combines both her interest in ceramics and painting and complements The Bowes Museum’s existing collections.

Dr Howard Coutts, Keeper of Ceramics at The Bowes Museum comments: 'This plaque represents a fascinating link between the collections of paintings and ceramics at The Bowes Museum. It is on display in the picture galleries as a work by one of the group of French artists who worked in the milieu of the Impressionists, but would be housed equally well in the ceramic gallery, or even as a study of French 19th century costume.'

The work of Paul Helleu (1859-1927) has seen a dramatic surge in popularity over the last decade, with the obvious charm of his work being recognised in the UK, USA and Japan, as well as his native France. He trained as a painter at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, and knew all the leading artists of the time – Degas, Whistler, and Sargent, though in the early years of his career he worked for the ceramicist Theodore Deck.

Deck (1823–91) was the leading figure in the world of ceramics in France in the 19th century. He was appointed Director of the Sevres Porcelain Factory in 1887 but is best known for his work in pottery that he exhibited almost continuously at International Exhibitions in the second half of the 19th century.