Friday, December 19, 2008

Limoges History



Limoges History

The Limoges porcelain sought by collectors today was actually produced by a number of factories in the Limoges region of France from the late 1700s until around 1930. Production did not cease in 1930, however. This arbitrary cutoff date simply denotes a change in the global economy when the styles of Limoges wares notably changed from very elaborate to more basic in design.

At one point in the 1920s as many as 48 companies were producing wares marked Limoges, according to ceramics expert Mary Frank Gaston in The Collector's Encyclopedia of Limoges. These pieces weren't only marked Limoges denoting their origin, however. Many pieces had factory marks and even marks showing who decorated each piece.

It's important to understand, however, that the factories operting in the the Limoges region primarily produced elaborately molded white wares. These undecorated pieces, also known as "blanks," were taken to decorating studios away from the factory or exported without decoration. The blanks exported to American soil often ended up in the hands of eager china painting students, with this being a popular hobby for ladies during the late 1800s.

Pictured Above: VINTAGE LIMOGES DESSERT/SALAD PLATE in the MONSOON REGENCY BOUQUETTE pattern. This LimogesUSA vintage item is available, along with other LimogesUSA pieces at: http://pennysantiquesandwedgwoodpantry.chshops.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=20_39.

copperpenny22
cupenny@tds.net
www.pennyspantry.net

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