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In France, 1768 saw the discovery of
Kaolin at St. Yrieix La Perche, a town close to Limoges.
This discovery led to the foundation of the Limoges
porcelain industry. Turgot, at that time Intendant of
the Limousin area, recognized the economic potential
for this rather poor region, where all the other elements
necessary for this output were readily available. Underground
deposits around Limoges also included metals which since
the Middle Ages had been in use to provide metallic
oxides for coloring enamel and Faïence. In 1771 the
faïence manufacture was converted into porcelain manufacture,
and the region's first hard-paste porcelain began to
be made.
In 1774 placed under the protection
of the Count d'Artois, this initial factory became a
subsidiary of the royal factory in Sèvres in 1784. In
the wake of the French Revolution only private concerns
continued in Limoges. In the early nineteenth century
the factories began making the most perfectly, white
porcelain ever seen, proving the superiority of Limoges
kaolin. By the 1830s there were as many as thirty or
so porcelain factories at Limoges. The second half of
the nineteenth century was the golden age of Limoges
porcelain. The international renown of this center of
porcelain excellence grew and grew with the development
of exports, as well as the triumph of Limoges porcelain
at universal expositions organized around the world
from 1855.
Limoges became famous for its undecorated
white porcelain artifacts created by the most talented
artisans in Limoges and often shown at the trade shows
in Paris. White porcelain was very much a novelty and
was left undecorated with enamels to that people could
see the high quality of this new material called porcelain,
unblemished and without deformities. In addition, the
French porcelain became famous for certain types of
enamel colors such as cobalt blue.
Throughout the twentieth century, right
up to the present day, the greatest names from the world
of decorative arts continue to help design Limoges porcelain.
The 1925 Paris international exposition of decorative
arts and modern industries, which launched the Art Déco
movement, transformed Limoges into the international
porcelain capital. Fruitful collaboration with the greatest
designers of our age has enabled Limoges porcelain to
remain a potent force, successfully preserving its world-wide
renown.
Today, Limoges porcelain and the Limoges
porcelain industry is primarily known for the trinket
boxes. These boxes have been created in France for hundreds
of years. Today’s modern whimsical and decor boxes are
actually very similar to the original models which first
appeared in France as snuffboxes in the early 18th century.
The early snuffboxes were carried on one’s person and
were often coordinated with a person’s wardrobe. Snuff
was considered a social pastime and being able to produce
at an elegant snuffbox at social gatherings was considered
essential in royal and aristocratic circles. Snuffboxes
came in all different shapes and sizes. They were usually
very whimsical and came in the shape of animals, fruits,
shells, people, baskets, furniture, etc. Eventually
snuffboxes came to be manufactured in Limoges, after
the discovery of kaolin there.
However, after the French Revolution
1789, many aristocrats were either killed or fled the
country, and the art of the snuffbox was lost for many
years. Snuff-taking never really regained its former
popularity although there was a brief resurgence during
the reign of Napoleon Bonaparte. Limoges porcelain boxes
were not manufactured in any significant quantities.
It wasn’t until the late 20th century when the snuffbox
made an enormous return to popularity as what has come
to be known as the “Limoges box”. Today’s boxes are
no longer functional but are mostly acquired as collectibles
or given as gifts. They decorate homes all across the
world and are more popular then ever.
Though Limoges boxes are the most well
known product from Limoges, any thing that can be made
out of porcelain has been made from Limoges porcelain.
There are plenty of varied products from vases to ashtrays
to dolls and everything else in between. Today there
are roughly 20 - 30 porcelain factories in Limoges and
most are specialized in certain types of porcelain such
as dinnerware, giftware, and industrial porcelain.
The story of Limoges porcelain still
continues today with new and different products constantly
coming to market. There are more collectors buying boxes
because of new licensed character pieces recently released,
such as the Disney or Peanuts Limoges boxes based on
classic characters. There are new boxes brought about
by political causes such as the endangered species or
patriotic Limoges boxes, where a portion of the proceeds
of each sale go to wildlife preservation groups and
the September 11th Fund, respectively. New pieces that
have never been thought of before are gaining popularity,
like the Limoges flower candlesticks or Poupee Dolls
with arms, legs, and head made from Limoges porcelain.
New and famous designers are creating pieces – Paula
Crevoshay, the famous jewelry designer, designed the
Goddess Perfume Bottles with jewel encrusted headdresses
and Lynn Haney, the world renowned Santa designer, has
created some of the most amazing Santa Claus pieces
ever seen. The history of Limoges porcelain is being
written right now, with more and more people getting
involved and discovering the beauty of this fine porcelain.
The past few hundred years have been incredibly interesting
and we believe the next few hundred will be just as
good.
The Limoges Porcelain Production Process
Creating any single Limoges porcelain
box is a complicated process with artists painstakingly
working on every step to guarantee the quality of each
piece. The concept of each piece starts with sketches,
drawings, and/or watercolors. A sculptor then takes
these two-dimensional pictures and brings them to life
by creating a model from plaster or clay. This model
will then be used to create the original mold. Depending
on how complex the form of the box is, a mold can consist
of three separate parts to as many 30 or 40 pieces.
These pieces all fit together like a puzzle creating
a negative cavity on the inside that will match the
positive shape of the porcelain.
Once the prototype is approved for
the form by the artist, a “mother” mold is created from
silicone or resin. This mother mold is used to make
the production molds. Each production mold wears our
after 50 to 80 uses, so new production molds constantly
have to be created from the mother molds.
Each piece is then hand poured into
the mold. The thick liquid is created from a mixture
of quartz, feldspath, and kaolin. It stands a few seconds
to thicken the wall of the piece, then the remainder
is poured out. Afterwards, it is removed from the mold
very carefully by hand and let to dry for about a day.
Each piece is then hand finished, meaning that the edges
caused by the joints in the mold are removed.
The piece is then fired at approximately
900 degrees Celsius (about 1650 degrees Fahrenheit)
to dry it out completely and make it ready to accept
(absorb) the enamel. Each piece is then hand dipped
into an enamel bath, made from the same ingredients
– quartz, feldspath, and kaolin, but in different proportions.
This enamel is actually completely clear and the beautiful
white result shining through is the brilliant color
of the porcelain and the reason why it is so famous.
The piece is then passed into the “grand feu,” or the
hottest kiln, and is fired at 1400 degrees Celsius (about
2550 degrees Fahrenheit). This is a 24 hour process,
12 hours to fire the porcelain and another 12 just to
cool down the kiln enough to be able to open it.
Now these white pieces go onto the
hand painting studio. The spectrum of colors are fired
at different temperatures, for example blues and purples
are fired from 750 – 900 degrees Celsius (about 1400
– 1650 degrees Fahrenheit), while reds are fired from
550 – 700 degrees Celsius (about 1000 – 1300 degrees
Fahrenheit). Reds will be burned away and disappear
at higher temperatures, therefore depending on the number
of colors on any piece, it could go through the kiln
as many as 5 or 6 times. After painting the piece is
numbered and signed by the artist with the important
mark “peint main,” meaning “hand painted,” and “Limoges,
France” written on the bottom, certifying that this
is truly a unique, completely handcrafted Limoges porcelain
box.
Porcelain undergoes shrinkage of 13
– 15 % during the major firing of 1400 degrees Celsius.
Although the pieces are poured from the same mold, there
are differences between the vertical and horizontal
shrinkage and each one has slight variations making
it unique. Because of this, standardized hinges are
impossible and each piece has to be individually fitted
by hand with a brass hinge and each clasp (usually a
whimsical creation, highly detailed, recalling the “story”
of the piece) is soldered on by hand. Any other additional
metal, leather, glass, or other material add-ons are
applied by hand at this point.
Limoges boxes are fascinating pieces
that go through an incredibly intricate and complicated
process to become the beautiful creations found in homes
across the world. Because of the nature of Limoges porcelain,
shrinkage during firing, and the hand crafting each
piece is completely unique from every other, even though
they may come from the same mold! Most Limoges boxes
that we sell come from limited editions, so they are
numbered and when the last of the series has been created,
the molds are destroyed, meaning they will never be
made again. Each box goes through a process that takes
weeks and is approved by every artist along the way
before it is packed and shipped out of Limoges. Every
box we sell comes in its manufacturer’s gift box and
all our hand painted Limoges boxes come with a certificate
of authenticity as well certifying that the piece is
a unique creation and every step of the process of creation
took place in Limoges, France – the essential quality
that makes a true Limoges box.
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