The Town, The People and The Pottery
Volume 23 Number 12
May 2022
May 2022
The western-most part of the continent of Europe, this is a 1683 map of Brittany. Quimper is located to the left of center, above a small island and noted with its name at that time...Quimper-Corentin.
Quimper...pronounced "kem-pair"...is a town in northwestern France. It is also a people and a pottery.
To the people of Quimper, the town name is Kemper, which in their language describes a confluence of rivers. ("Quimper" is a somewhat nonsensical rendition as not all the Breton dialects have a "Q" and a true French pronunciation would be different from the actual "kem-pair"). At any rate, "confluence of rivers" is an apt description, as the town is situated at the juncture of two rivers, the Odet and the Steir. Two other rivers, the Jet and the Frout, are close-by, but travel underground through the town limits. Historically, this close proximity to rivers meant an ideal place to establish a pottery factory and thus, Quimper has been a pottery town for centuries. Its "recent" history of continuous pottery production begins in 1708. (Previous accounts put the date as 1690, but history is not written in stone and recent findings have provided further information).
By the last decade of the nineteenth century, three pottery factories were operating in the town of Quimper. One was the Porquier factory, another was known as the Grande Maison or De la Hubaudière factory, and the third, owned by Jules Henriot, was called the Faïencerie d’Art Breton. Tin-glazed earthenware, known in France as faïence, was a popular product, especially pieces that were hand-painted with scenes depicting life in the region of Brittany.
The making of faïence is an art. Especially in the early days, prior to the introduction of more modern methods, when both the technical and artistic skills necessary to make a piece of faïence were quite daunting. Extremely difficult to master its making, I've been known to liken faïence to being the "puff pastry" of pottery production.
The use of an opaque tin glaze is one factor that distinguishes faïence from other types of pottery...pieces made by this process were known as faïence in France, Spain, Germany, and Austria; in the Netherlands, they were called Delft; in England, the term was Delftware; and in Renaissance Italy, such pieces were called maiolica...not to be confused with majolica, that's actually a trade name of the Minton pottery in England for a Victorian-era product made using substantially different glazes and production methods.
The tradition of Quimper faïence production continues today. But much like the comparison of a Model T with a current Ford Motor Company product, today’s Quimper is very different from vintage Quimper. In many fields of collecting there is a line of demarcation; for Quimper pottery that line is World War II. Modern techniques and machinery introduced in the days after World War II resulted in the creation of a different product. Vintage Quimper refers to pieces made prior to that time period; later production falls into the collectible genre.
Here at www.oldquimper.com, we specialize in vintage Quimper and invite you to come along as we further explore old Quimper...The Town, The People, and The Pottery. If you've just joined us, since 1999 we've been using these pages to extol upon the beauty and intrigue of vintage Quimper pottery and, at the same time, do some "traveling"...and, indeed, over the years, we have visited some of the most picturesque towns of Brittany...each one delightfully different.
Each month, this depiction of King Gradlon by Quimper-born artist Pierre Toulhoat (1923-2014) will herald in a new article about Quimper...The Town, The People and The Pottery.
For the past several issues of www.oldquimper.com, we've been presenting a series of articles designed to provide a primer on the history of Quimper...a sort of abridged and updated version of the story behind The Town, The People and The Pottery. We hope to educate collectors...correcting some long-standing and stubborn misinformation...so that fans of Quimper pottery will become more comfortable with the whys and wherefores of Quimper and what makes it so special. It's also a good lesson in remembering that history is not written in stone and that our knowledge of it can indeed change.
Reminder: in many instances, clicking on the photos will lead to a larger image and please take note that the names and dates given may be entirely different from what you hear or read from various sources. This is an updated and corrected history of Quimper pottery, designed to provide a clear illustration of how styles and techniques from Provence, Nevers and Rouen came together to create the enduring fascination that is Quimper pottery.
In case you just joined our on-going discussion of the history of Quimper pottery…we've made our way from the very beginning of "modern-day" Quimper pottery...Pierre Bousquet's founding of a factory in 1708...following his enterprise through the French Revolution, the beginnings of local competition in the marketplace and the inevitable effects of death and taxes. We focused first on the factory that started it all...what came to be popularly known as HB Quimper or La Grande Maison and then turned to those that followed...the Eloury/Porquier pottery, and then after that, another competing pottery...one that came to be known as Henriot and after that, the Fouillen pottery.
Since we're reviewing the history of Quimper's potteries in chronological order based on the date of their opening, the next up was the Keraluc pottery. Founded in 1946, in the last months, we followed Keraluc's early days and its success as a sort of incubator for ceramic artists. After the death of the founder, Victor Lucas, in 1958, the pottery went through several twists and turns...finally putting the key under the mat in 1984. Pottery molds and the rights to the use of the Keraluc mark were later sold to the HB-Henriot factory, but the results essentially mirrored that firm's cataloged production rather than serving as an encouragement for ceramic artistry and innovation.
In case you just joined our on-going discussion of the history of Quimper pottery…we've made our way from the very beginning of "modern-day" Quimper pottery...Pierre Bousquet's founding of a factory in 1708...following his enterprise through the French Revolution, the beginnings of local competition in the marketplace and the inevitable effects of death and taxes. We focused first on the factory that started it all...what came to be popularly known as HB Quimper or La Grande Maison and then turned to those that followed...the Eloury/Porquier pottery, and then after that, another competing pottery...one that came to be known as Henriot and after that, the Fouillen pottery.
Since we're reviewing the history of Quimper's potteries in chronological order based on the date of their opening, the next up was the Keraluc pottery. Founded in 1946, in the last months, we followed Keraluc's early days and its success as a sort of incubator for ceramic artists. After the death of the founder, Victor Lucas, in 1958, the pottery went through several twists and turns...finally putting the key under the mat in 1984. Pottery molds and the rights to the use of the Keraluc mark were later sold to the HB-Henriot factory, but the results essentially mirrored that firm's cataloged production rather than serving as an encouragement for ceramic artistry and innovation.
But the idea of Quimper as an art pottery simmered in the background and the second half of the twentieth century saw the establishment of a number of relatively little-known studio potteries...so many that almost every day we receive a photo in the mail asking..."Is this really Quimper ? "
These smaller studio potters of the 1950s, 60s and 70s are also part of the history of Quimper pottery. Many of the artists had previously contributed in one way or another at one of the principal Quimper factories before deciding to work independently.
In our last issue, we presented some examples from the Atelier du Steir, a pottery studio created by two art professors who had previously participated at Keraluc...Georges Connan and Jos Le Corre.
A sampling of ceramics by Georges Coonan used as an illustration in the book "Georges Connan" by Jacqueline Duroc.
Connan and Le Corre's Atelier du Steir produced art pottery in Quimper from 1959 to 1963.
Other Quimper ceramists featured in our last issue were Alain Piclet, Patrick Chaussepied, Jean-Sébastien Le Pemp...
...examples of their respective marks.
In this issue, we present a few more lesser-known Quimper ceramists...in response to the emails we receive that generally start out with..."My sister-in-law gave me this...is it Quimper ?" or "I'm hoping you can settle a bet...is this is fake ? " or "It says Quimper, but it looks different."
Sometimes we are only able to supply a name and other times there's more of a story to tell...like in the case of Corentin Le Pape.
In 2014, Ouest-France, one of our local newspapers, ran this photo of Corentin Le Pape when he died at the age of 103.
A veteran of WWII, Le Pape retired from a career in the aviation industry in the 1960s and began to dabble with making ceramics as a pastime. Through his friendship with Jos Le Corre, he was accorded the use of the facilities of the HB pottery. Not aspiring to begin a commercial venture, he made gifts intended for friends and the community.
His signature technique involved the creation of a plaster mold that was subsequently used to produce a piece with a raised-relief design. Motifs were often Celtic in inspiration...as is the case with this heart-shaped wall plaque.
The reverse of the plaque confirms the Book of Kells as the inspiration behind the motif.
Le Pape's entwined KAP mark is repeated on another piece...
...a crucifix formed using the same raised-relief technique.
A native of Pont-l'Abbé, in the photograph, a young Corentin Le Pape sports a classic embroidered gilet and many years later, he recreated the traditional garb on an intricately-detailed faïence charger.
More raised-relief examples...including a table fitted with ceramic plaques.
Le Pape designed the limited edition liberty borne issued by the HB-Henriot pottery in 1994 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the WWII liberation of Quimper.
The tactile plaques used in the Musée Départemental Breton to enhance the enjoyment of sight-impaired visitors are one of Le Pape's community-minded contributions. Active in mid-century modern ceramic circles, in addition to his friendship with Le Corre, Le Pape worked with the previously-profiled Jean-Sébastien Le Pemp, who signed his pieces "Bastian" and another ceramist named Louis Nédélec.
Unlike Corentin Le Pape, not much is known about Nédélec...
He reportedly had a studio in Quimper during the 1950s and 60s, where he produced decorative plates and plaques.
And questions usually arrive when a piece with this signature comes on the market...
..." Who is C. Bernard and is this really Quimper ?"
Sometimes all we receive accompanying the question is a photo of the mark on a piece and you should all know by now how much credence I put on marks...like, zero...
...but in this case, it is Quimper...although not much is known about the artist.
Reportedly, a Claude Bernard worked for HB for one year in the 1950s and later had a studio for a short while in Quimper. Unfortunately, that's the extent of current information on this artist.
Other questions we receive from time to time are "Who is Kerly " or "I found this piece signed Kerly.".., etc. Hand-painted signatures can be difficult to read...it's actually Kercy and is the name used by Simone Carrié who opened a ceramics studio in the center of Old Town Quimper in 1968.
Some sources mention that at one point she participated at Keraluc, something that I have not been able to independently verify.
Her pieces reflect the times...with the flower power motifs of the 60s and 70s popular themes.
Her studio remained a part of Quimper's ceramics scene until it closed in 1995.
Another "mystery" name is Youen...
...that's the name Yves-Alain Pleuven (1929-2015) used to sign pieces he made both at Henriot and HB as well as in his own kiln.
Trained both in Brittany and in Paris as a traditional painter on canvas, he was first drawn to ceramics during his vacations from art school. He used the facilities at both Henriot and HB...bouncing back and forth...1957 at Henriot , then summer of '58 at HB, then back to Henriot for the next couple of summers. During those sojourns, he produced "pieces uniques"...rather than designs that were replicated by the potteries for commercial distribution.
In the 1960's, he opened his own gallery in Concarneau, selling pottery fired in his Quimper atelier as well as paintings.
Two Youen plates with very different roosters.
Before I close, a reminder that the Musée de la Faïence is now open for the season with a revamped display of pieces from the permanent exhibition and a spectacular opportunity to enjoy the artistry that was the result of the collaboration between the Porquier pottery and the artist Alfred Beau. The gala opening of the special exhibition was a joy...here's just a peek...
The exhibition centered around 10 albums of watercolors depicting Alfred Beau designs that were intended to be recreated on faïence by the Porquier artists. Hundreds and hundreds of intricate motifs...
...that produced gorgeous results.
The exhibition is packed with one breathtaking example after another...
...with the added bonus of seeing the original design !
It's all there...yellow-rimmed botanicals, animated scènes bretonnes and fanciful legends...and will be there for you to enjoy until October 1, 2022 ! Open every day except Sunday...10am to 6pm without an interruption.
That's it for this issue...our exploration of Brittany...its towns, its people and its pottery...will continue in our next webisode. We publish a new issue on or about the first of each month. If you would like an email reminder when a new issue comes out, please contact us at oldquimper@yahoo.com. ...and be sure to check your computer settings...because sometimes unless you change them, we end up in your SPAM folder !