M. Markley Antiques
 

Gien  & Blois Ceramics
Faïence

 

The Château des Bois CollectionTM includes French ceramics or faïence, such as that produced by Gien and Blois, whose stylistic origins evoke the same Renaissance roots as the furniture in the Collection.
Based in what began as a thriving medieval market town on the Loire River, the Gien factory was started in the 1820s by Thomas Antoine Edmé Hulme (a/k/a Hall) in the former monastery of Minim.  In the years after the French revolution, when churches and monasteries were closed and the monks driven away, it was common to use monasteries as sites for factories.  Gien was particularly attractive because of its proximity to the rivers and canals that were the backbones of 19th century commerce for transporting raw materials to the factory and shipping finished products to customers. The original intent of the founders was to make English creamware (a soft-paste white porcelain).  The  Treaty of Vergennes (1786) placed confiscatory tariffs on French ceramics entering England but eliminated French tariffs on English products exported to France.  The result was a collapse in the French ceramics industry until innovators such as Hall sought to make competing products in France and capitalize on the French taste for English designs. Throughout the balance of the 19th century the Gien factory enjoyed tremendous success as an innovator in reproducing designs such as those popular in the Renaissance, created in Italian towns such as Urbino,  Faenza, Gubbio and Deruta. The Gien designs incorporate typical Renaissance elements such as mythological beings, putti, garlands, masques, fish and coats of arms on white, black, brown and later blue backgrounds.  While many styles were developed and the factory won numerous awards at the various world exhibitions held in Europe, the Renaissance pieces remained its most popular.  Since its inception, Gien has been an innovator in techniques and materials; even supplying the white, blue and black tiles used in the Paris métro stations, many of which are still visible today and remain marvels for their durability and ease of cleaning. Examples of the Renaissance faïence in the Collection include the rare fond blanc (white background) pieces in the form of vases, plates, jardinières, etc.  These were among the first pieces made by Gien in the Renaissance style and are among the most faithful reproductions of the original Italian Urbinoware, much of which was already in collections in Lyon, La Rochelle and Paris as inspiration for the designers at Gien.  When the factory perfected the technique for making the rich, cobalt blue background (fond bleu) for the Renaissance designs, its output became more popular than ever and grew to include dinnerware, tea sets, serving pieces and numerous decorative items.  In limited quantities, many of these items are still in production and can be seen on tours of the factory and its onsite museum.  For information on visiting the factory, visit the English language version of the Gien factory  website on Gien.com
Michael Markley at the Museum & Factory Store in Gien