Carafe in French Limoges Porcelain Hand Painted, 1940s

Ø cm 9 h cm 30

There Limoges porcelain it dates back to the 1660s-70s, when in a French town near Limoges a deposit of kaolin was discovered, a material necessary for the production of hard-paste porcelain. This discovery changed the history of the city so much that it became the capital of French ceramics. Several years later Louis XV issued a royal edict giving the city the exclusive right to produce royal porcelain for the kingdom of France.

In the 19th century, the number of porcelain factories multiplied and the most important, then as now, is Bernardaud, which is known for the beauty of its lithophanes.

Even today the city retains its leading position as the center of porcelain manufacturing in France.

Limoges porcelain is appreciated and known all over the world for the particular elegance of its works and materials. It has always stood out for its particularly white colour, but also for the great skill and mastery of the decorators who decreed its great success. Among these porcelains, boxes and jewelery holders, dinner sets with tureens and centerpieces are made, which in the 18th century were highly appreciated by royalty, such as Josephine Napoleon’s wife who began to collect them in the most intricate designs. After her, many royal families of Europe began to collect Limoges boxes, decorated in an elegant and romantic French style.