Limoges, France is perhaps best known for “The Art of Fire” – the beautiful porcelain manufactured here under many recognized brands such as Bernardaud, whose family has been a leader in porcelain-making for five generations since 1863.
We learned more about this fascinating process by reserving tickets for a tour of Maison Bernardaud. The 90-minute tour was worth every minute, and I easily booked our tickets before leaving the U.S. through the “Contact Us” email on their website. The staff was quick to respond and help us set up the visit.
Once inside, against the backdrop of huge display room with 60,000 pieces of porcelain in process, the guide walked us through each step, from the raw materials unique to the Limoges region (kaolin, a clay mineral that is mixed with other soil shipped in from Germany and elsewhere), on through casting, hardening, inspecting for faults, finishing, garnishing and the multiple firings in gas kilns to finish the unglazed products or obtain the signature whitening and translucence of glazed porcelain. After that comes hand-painting, or other decorative techniques such as silkscreen and lithography. You can read all about it here.
I certainly left with a new understanding of not only porcelain-making but its connections with the history of design more broadly and the extraordinary collaborations that result in beautiful works of art, custom dinnerware in restaurants (such as the signature Orient Express train design), perfume and wine bottles.
After our tour we did some light shopping in the factory store (be sure to schedule your tour before or after the long French midday lunch, during which the store closes). Shipping to the U.S. was so easy that my dinnerware would have reached home before I did; I scheduled the arrival when I’d be back, and everything arrived as expected by UPS at my door. Bernardaud has shops all over the world, including in Manhattan, and and online boutique. We also checked out a few porcelain outlets in the Limoges region but discovered that their ability to ship to the U.S. was limited if non-existent.
