The Evolution of French Porcelain
Porcelain products surround us in items that range from utilitarian to aesthetic with a portion combining the two. The strength and stability of porcelain, even in difficult conditions, are essential to numerous industrial applications such as electrical insulation and laboratory equipment, whereas buildings and homes often feature porcelain tiles and dinnerware. Some families bequeath porcelain cups, saucers, pots, and vases from one generation to the next as enduring mementos. Among the world’s most famous porcelain brands are several French manufacturers such as Sèvres and Limoges, which have persisted over several hundred years of changing environments and consumer tastes.
Chantilly soft-paste porcelain teapot with Chinese design, 1735–1740. Photographed at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, France. Image credit: World Imaging, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Humans around the world have created various forms of pottery from clay for thousands of years. Lighter and stronger porcelain emerged in China during the Han Dynasty (202 BCE – 200 AD), becoming increasingly prevalent during the Tang Dynasty (7th to 10th century). Hundreds of years later, European travelers to China brought back tea, spices, paintings, porcelain, and other wares to the amazement of their royal sponsors. Although pottery had been made in France since the 12th century, the main forms were not as refined or chip resistant as their Chinese and Japanese counterparts. By the 17th century, several French pottery manufacturers were adding ground glass to clay in their quest to fabricate a finer product. The discovery of a key ingredient near Limoges in 1768 marked the beginning of the domestic hard-porcelain industry that has since established a global reputation for beauty and impeccable craftsmanship.
When Chinese porcelain imports were temporarily halted in the early 17th century, European potters imitated Asian motifs and tried to replicate their translucency and strength by experimenting with different materials to add to the local clay. Faïence, a type of tin-glazed clay pottery, was prevalent among the wealthy at the time, having originated in the Middle East before the 9th century before gradually spreading from Moorish Andalusia throughout western Europe. Initially taking root in Italy as maiolica in the 14th century, faïence extended onward to other regions of Europe where potters experimented with different designs and approaches to glazing. During the first half of the 18th century, French factories at St. Cloud, Chantilly, Vincennes, and elsewhere started to produce elegant soft-paste porcelain objects that, while not quite matching the characteristics of imported hard-paste porcelain, were highly desired by French royalty and nobility.
Cup (tasse Jasmin), part of Breakfast Service (déjeuner), Sèvres Manufactory (MET, 56.29.5), The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Image credit: Manufacture nationale de Sèvres, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
The quality of soft-paste porcelain from the Vincennes factory, staffed by experienced artisans and the beneficiary of a royal privilege granted by King Louis XV in 1745, garnered attention in 1748 with the presentation of a bouquet of ‘porcelain flowers’ to Queen Marie of France. Her subsequent commissions and the patronage of Madame de Pompadour ensured the financial and commercial success of the factory as well as influencing a shift away from Chinese and Japanese decorative themes toward French tastes for colors and designs. Operations were moved to the village of Sèvres in 1756 and three years later it was acquired by the royal court.
Kaolin clay, a form of decomposed granite rocks that is essential to the manufacture of hard-paste porcelain like Chinese porcelain, was discovered near Limoges, France in 1768. The region already had a centuries-old tradition of craftsmanship producing vitreous enamel decorative objects known as Opus de Limogia and faïence. A manufacturing facility that incorporated kaolin clay was initially granted patronage by the brother of King Louis XVI to produce hard-paste porcelain and eventually came under ownership of the crown as the Manufacture Royale de Limoges in 1784. Limoges became the French center of its porcelain industry as various manufacturers also located their operations in the area.
During Revolutionary times in the late 1700s, the fall of its most active clientele, financial upheavals, and imports combined to deal a harsh blow to the country’s porcelain industry. Many small businesses failed but the flagship Sèvres operation was claimed by the French state and rejuvenated under the leadership of Alexandre Brongniart. A gifted administrator with a technical background, Brongniart was appointed by Napoleon and went on to manage the Manufacture nationale de Sèvres for nearly half a century. The factory focused on tableware, vases, and decorative objects designed for the Empire’s use as well as for diplomatic gifts, creating thematic sets, developing new colors and designs, and improving kiln technology.
Dragonfly bowl, Limoges porcelain (manufactured between 1902 and 1906). Image credit: Musée national Adrien Dubouché, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
In recognition of the porcelain industry’s role in French history and culture, the Sèvres factory was merged with a ceramics museum built by Brongniart into the Sèvres & Limoges – Cité de la céramique (Sèvres City of Ceramics) in 2010. This site in the Paris suburbs houses a broad collection of ceramic and porcelain objects that traverse time and geography and continues the Sèvres traditions of innovation and craftsmanship while also recognizing the Limoges region that currently is home to roughly half of all French porcelain production. Among its renowned porcelain producers are Royal Limoges, founded in 1797 by Francois Alluaud, the former director of the Manufacture Royale de Limoges, Haviland & Co., started in 1842 by an American import/export family who bridged the French creators of fine porcelain products with Americans who admired their work, and Bernardaud, continuously under family management since its establishment in 1863.
Jeu de français
Whether you were already familiar with French porcelain and its European and Asian counterparts or added to your knowledge, try the following English language quiz about porcelain.
Subscribe to our newsletter to receive Art de vivre posts, information about courses, Conversation Café, special events, and other news from l’Institut français d’Oak Park.