|
THE HISTORY OF LIMOGES BOXES - Limoges, France is one of the oldest cities in France. It is known for and still remains to be known for the notion of porcelain. There are several reasons, one of course is the discovery of rich deposits of kaolin, discovered at the end of the 18th Century around Limoges, France. Kaolin is used to make porcelain paste. The landowners of these kaolin, soon began manufacturing porcelain & selling it all over Europe. Soon they saw more business into the making of these porcelain pieces and opened up porcelain factories, where highly skilled craftsmen collaborated with famous artist, to make Tableware (plates,vases,platters, boxes,etc.) In these factories different craftsman & artist worked together to create incredible pieces. Still today highly skilled craftsman & woman decorate these lovely boxes & are made in various sizes,shapes, and some still produce dinnerware,vases,platters etc. The process begins with the creation of a mold. The porcelain paste is then poured into the mold. Once it is dry it takes the the shape of the object that was intended. The two parts of the box, the lid & the body ,are then dried and fired in a Kiln. The next step is to glaze the porcelain and to fire it for a second time. In this process the box loses some volume, which is the why no TWO BOXES ARE IDENTICAL in size. Once the box is ready the two parts (lid & body) are decorated by hand by the artist, or sometimes they are prints. Hand decorating is several stages and takes some time, while the printing is much faster. Once the decorating is complete the two parts of the box are now placed together with a metallic bond. The boxes are placed together using wooden mallets. The boxes are hinged and complemented with a lovely clasp. The last step is the most significant & important one we all look for before we even dare buy a Limoges,Insignia ,"hand painted in Limoges",or "Peint Main",Limoges, France",or "hand decorated in Limoges","Fabriquee et decoree main", it all depends on the artist and most of all the Factory. A LIMOGES, is a masterpiece to cherish for a lifetime!
|
|
|
) 
