Sèvres Porcelain

Sèvres porcelain began in 1738 when the brother of France's Ministry of Finance acquired a porcelain manufacturing license from King Louis XV. They produced ornate and hand-painted decorative art pieces for the most privileged families of France. In 1759, Louis XV took over Sèvres' operations, resulting in wider international recognition.

Sèvres' porcelain was known for its rich palette of colors, which was made possible by the low firing temperatures used during production. This type of low-firing porcelain was known as frit porcelain. In 1772, the company began to produce hard-paste porcelain and soon after, the company ceased production of frit porcelain.

After Sèvres was declared the property of the French government in 1798, their workforce was greatly reduced and suffered from shortages of materials. They slowly began to recover when Alexander Brongniart, a scientist skilled in chemistry, was appointed the new administrator, giving way to production efficiencies. Today, Sèvres is regarded as a company that helped advance France's reputation for porcelain making at a time when England and China were more revered in this area.

Quick Facts

• In 1756, the factory was moved to Sèvres, where it still operates today
• The Wallace Collection holds the largest collection of Sèvres porcelain in the world
• The peace treaty between the Ottoman Empire and Allies of World War I was signed at the Sèvres factory in 1920