Joseph-Théodore Deck (1823-1891), born in Guebwiller, Alsace, was apprenticed to a traditional stove-making firm in Strasbourg, learning his trade there and then in other centres in Germany and Austria. He moved to Paris in about 1851 as overseer for the Dumas stove and tile firm and in 1855 opened his own studio and, later his own retail shop, with his brother Xavier. He invited many well-known painters of the day to design decorations and also to paint some wares directly. Ernest Carrière (1858-1908), the painter of this large dish, appears to have specialised in birds; he decorated at least one other with a scene of a rooster and hens. In 1887, only three years before his death, Deck, who had researched glazes and colours throughout his career, became Director of the National Manufactory at Sèvres.