History Of Limoges China In French Art

By Author: Martin Woods
Total Articles: 2
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Limoges china pieces are works of art known throughout the world, the delicate hand painted designs are exquisite examples of French artwork. They are also the first true examples of China porcelain created in Europe.

In the 17th and early 18th century China porcelain was a luxury only the rich could afford. Buyers would order plates, boxes and other porcelain pieces from China and wait for years before they received them. The closest Europe could come to the Chinese art form, was soft-paste porcelain. Also called bone china, it was soft and brittle, more often relegated to being carefully displayed on a mantle than being a useable and beautiful piece of art.

Limoges porcelain changed this. The French city of Limoges has the honour of creating the first true European style China porcelain. The reason for this is the kaolin clay found nearby. When this clay is added to the porcelain mixture it strengthens the fine china, enabling it to be mass produced. Rather than waiting years for ships to come and go from China, art lovers could order custom made French china artwork and receive it in a matter of months.

In ...
... 1771 Anne-Robert-Jacques Turgot a French minister, established the porcelain factories in Limoges. These factories were controlled by the brother of King Louis XVI, the Comte D'Artos, and in 1776 become a part of the royal manufactory in Sevres. The blank Limoges china was shipped to Sevres to be painted and then sold. This wasn't a great success, due to the cost of transporting it from Limoges to Sevres.

During the initial stages of the French Revolution the French china industry floundered, and all porcelain manufacturing stopped for several years until 1797.

The Baignol and Alluand factories controlled the French china industry for the first half of the 19th century. During the Napoleonic Wars and the recovery period afterwards their factories made up to three quarters of all Limoges porcelain, employing close to 900 workers in their production.

Porcelain from Limoges was known as a fine example of Paris art, and sought after throughout Europe. The artwork could be found in New York, Brazil, South Africa, Australia, and even in China. But it wasn't until David Haviland came to Limoges in 1842 that French china became commonplace.

Before the Haviland Factory was created, Limoges china was inefficiently made. The porcelain mixture was prepared in one factory, then moulded into shape elsewhere, occasionally it was baked in yet another area, it was moved elsewhere to be polished, and finally it was either painted or left blank and prepared for transport. This drastically increased the time and costs.

The Haviland factory did all of these steps in the same factory, much like the modern factories of today. Haviland's increased efficiency made it possible for the middle class, especially in America, to buy their own pieces of Paris art. In fact by the late 1850's half of all French china was sold to the United States. A large majority of these American bound Limoges' were left blank, as china painting was a popular hobby amongst American women.

Limoges continued to produce fine china, with as many as 48 companies bearing the mark of Limoges in the 1920's. The Limoges porcelain was the thing to have in any successful household. Due to the Great Depression and subsequent WW2, the 1930's saw a drastic decline in the production of Limoges china. After the 1930's French china has generally become more practical, and less of an art form. Still, some Limoges companies believe in this traditional French artwork, and continue to produce high quality, hand painted works of art.

For the very best in Limoges porcelain luxury items online visit Laure Selignac. Our collection at http://www.laureselignac.com/collections-laure-selignac.php displays different French china luxury items including porcelain jewels, china eggs, butterflies, trinkets, boxes and hearts.