HISTORY OF LIMOGES, FRANCE
Until the discovery of kaolin in Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche (near Limoges) in 1868, porcelain was made of a soft-paste mixture. Kaolin is a rock rich in fine white clay. A chemist named Johann Friedrich Bottger, developed a hard-paste porcelain using a combination of kaolin, feldspar, and quartz. Shortly after the discovery of Kaolin, the first porcelain factory was built in Limoges in 1771. The popularity of the Limoges porcelain was so great, that the industry grew from five factories and seven kilns in 1808, to 35 factories and 120 kilns by 1900.
The production of porcelain in Limoges involves many steps before the wares are ready for retail. First, the stone is taken from the quarries to the mills where the clay is dried in the sun and visible impurities are removed. The clay is then ground to a smooth texture, passed through silk screens, formed into balls and taken to various factories. The pasty clay is beaten and kneaded to remove air bubbles. Turners shape the clay on a wheel and molders remove impurities again and further shape each piece. The first firing in he ovens is at a low temperature, after which the pieces are dipped in a water mixture with feldspar and powdered quartz. The pieces are then fired at a very high temperature for 30-45 hours. The workers during this firing stayed the entire time, from start to finish! After this firing, some the pieces are carefully inspected, burnished and polished, which gave them a very shiny bright white finish. Pure white Limoges porcelain was very popular during certain periods. The pieces that were not sold as plain white wares were generally taken to decorating studios in Paris to be hand-painted. Some decorators also worked from their own homes. After the porcelain pieces were decorated, they fired again, sometimes more than once. The temperatures used in firing Limoges porcelain is unique to other types of porcelain, earthenware, and pottery.
All authentic porcelain pieces made in Limoges are hand painted. No matter which company made the pieces, all the stamps on the bottom will say Limoges, France and the name of the company that made them. Some pieces will have two marks, one for the factory where the blanks were made, and another mark identifying the company where they were decorated. It was very typical for all porcelain pieces made in Limoges to be transported elsewhere for decoration. In fact, until David Haviland opened his factory in Limoges in 1865, it is said that all porcelain produced in Limoges were decorated elsewhere. When Haviland opened his factory and started decorating his pieces on site, it actually caused rioting and his workers had to come to work all together by bus. (MORE ABOUT THE HAVILAND FAMILY ON THEIR OWN PAGE.)
The items can be painted under glaze or over the top coat of glaze. Floral patterns are normally produced from transfers, while scenery and portraits are generally hand-painted. Also, items that have animals or portraits are usually limited editions. Scenery is mainly seen on the older Limoges items and have a higher quality gilding.
There were MANY porcelain factories in and around Limoges, France, and a few still exist today.
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