The Town, The People and The Pottery
Volume 20 Number 6
November 2018
November 2018
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!
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...gone through the French Revolution, the beginnings of local competition in the marketplace, and the inevitable affects of death and taxes. We are focusing first on the factory that started it all...what came to be popularly known as HB Quimper or La Grande Maison and will pick up later on the competitors...Porquier, Henriot, Fouillen, Kéraluc, etc.
We're now up to the first quarter of the 20th century…and hopefully regular readers have been able to make sense out of a history that, so far, includes a trio of Pierres plus a couple of Marie-Jeannes and Guillaumes.
We're now up to the first quarter of the 20th century…and hopefully regular readers have been able to make sense out of a history that, so far, includes a trio of Pierres plus a couple of Marie-Jeannes and Guillaumes.
When we left off last month, World War I had ended and Jules Verlingue had finalized the purchase of the HB pottery, now re-named Faïencerie J. Verlingue et Cie.
Regular readers will recall that Verlingue hailed from Boulogne-sur-Mer...located in the top center of this map depicting the northern portion of France.
His family had been involved in the production of pottery in that region for many generations...since 1773. He had started his own pottery in Boulogne-sur-Mer in 1903, but was forced to reorganize just ten years later when his business was damaged by fire.
His family had been involved in the production of pottery in that region for many generations...since 1773. He had started his own pottery in Boulogne-sur-Mer in 1903, but was forced to reorganize just ten years later when his business was damaged by fire.
Here are a couple of pieces made at Verlingue's Faïencerie de la Madeline in Boulogne-sur-Mer:
...and here are the factory markings found on the back:
Eagle-eyed readers will have noticed that the miniature faïence easel is captioned Dinan and the double salt in the form of sabots mentions Le Havre. The captions were added to designate the town where the pieces were to be sold and reinforce their appeal as souvenirs of a pleasant journey. Verlingue's factory made pieces destined to be in the luggage of the many visitors to the different regions of France. Dinan is in the eastern portion of Brittany and Le Havre is in Normandy.
Jules Verlingue was a close friend of Guy De la Hubaudière, the owner of the HB pottery in Quimper, and had even worked as a subcontractor for De la Hubaudière...making HB pieces!
With the War over and the purchase of the HB pottery finalized, Verlingue was anxious to modernize. Boulogne-sur Mer is in the Pas-de-Calais region...right on the English Channel...and thus less isolated than Brittany. Being closer to industrialized England, Jules Verlingue was familiar with the techniques used there…techniques that he wished to implement in Quimper in order to avoid the financial problems that plagued Guy De la Hubaudière. Verlingue planned to install modern equipment and introduce processes aimed at making the business more profitable.
With the War over and the purchase of the HB pottery finalized, Verlingue was anxious to modernize. Boulogne-sur Mer is in the Pas-de-Calais region...right on the English Channel...and thus less isolated than Brittany. Being closer to industrialized England, Jules Verlingue was familiar with the techniques used there…techniques that he wished to implement in Quimper in order to avoid the financial problems that plagued Guy De la Hubaudière. Verlingue planned to install modern equipment and introduce processes aimed at making the business more profitable.
"Modern" Quimper pottery was at this point over 200 years old and the techniques used at the time were essentially the same as had been used in 1708.
Once gathered and brought to the factory, the clay was readied for use...one step involved whacking it with sticks to remove gross impurities and render it more pliable. The workers involved in this process were called marcheurs...coming from the practice of rendering the more stubborn bits by stomping on the clay with their wooden shoes. ..marche is French for "walk" or "step".
A vintage postcard shows an HB employee forming clay into the shape of a plate using a method known as estampage. Labor-intensive, the clay is pressed into a mold, the worker using his hands and fingers to press the clay against the mold to create the desired shape.
Vases and vessels were formed using a potters' wheel:
The benchmark exhibit of Quimper pottery held at the Musée des Beaux-Arts Quimper in 1990 included this tour de potier...it dates from the end of the 19th century-beginning of the 20th century:
That gives you an idea of the task facing Jules Verlingue. Almost nothing had changed since Emma Herland's painting of an Atelier de faïence de Locmaria...faïence studio in Locmaria...the neighborhood where the HB pottery was and is located.
One of the initial steps toward modernizing taken by Verlingue was the purchase of the building that had formerly served as the studio of a factory that had ceased operations some fifteen years earlier. (That would be the Porquier pottery on Place Bérardier across from Notre Dame de Locmaria Church and the Priory...we will be discussing the history of this Quimper pottery factory in due time!).
As noted last month, over 240,000 Bretons died in World War I, thus on top of everything else, the task of merely bringing the industry up to previous pre-War levels was hampered by the lack of personnel...especially difficult for Quimper pottery production with its lengthy apprenticeship requirements
As noted last month, over 240,000 Bretons died in World War I, thus on top of everything else, the task of merely bringing the industry up to previous pre-War levels was hampered by the lack of personnel...especially difficult for Quimper pottery production with its lengthy apprenticeship requirements
With the factory in a new location, Verlingue sought new employees...experienced workers, some from Boulogne-sur-Mer and others from Limoges...a town in central France famous for its production of porcelain. New kilns were constructed, capable of attaining the higher temperature required in the making of porcelain and new techniques and machinery were put in place.
Clay was now processed with machinery instead of sticks.
Another innovation was the introduction of "coulage", a process Verlingue had known about in Boulogne-sur-Mer, but had not been used in Quimper, This pertained to the fabrication of the forms...a process that in English is called "slip casting". Slip is clay that has had liquid added. The slip is then poured into a plaster mold. The mold absorbs the moisture and once a "skin" is formed and hardened,, the excess liquid is poured out, the mold form opened and you have the desired form...ready to be fired.
This process required less training than the use of a potter's wheel and allowed for the production of more intricate forms.
But the Quimper production that is perhaps the most emblematic of this time period is the table services decorated with the petit breton and his female counterpart, the petite bretonne. Tourism was back in swing, and many former "Dough Boys" returned to France to experience its beauty from outside of the trenches. Selling first to on-site visitors, Verlingue soon established relationships with prestigious retailers in other countries...including the United States. Quimper pottery became so popular in America that during the period between the two world wars, Americans asked to name a French city would mention Quimper...second only to Paris as the most familiar.
Depicted in their traditional costumes, the little Bretons graced many kitchens and dining rooms across America. The new-found spirit of opulence and freedom of artistic expression combined to make Quimper plates the perfect choice for vacation homes and country kitchens.
Note how the motif on each piece is unique...hand-painted and subject to the whims of kilns that were not equipped with automatic controls...each has its own individual characteristics and "personality".
In a festive mood after enduring rationing and mourning, yellow became the color of choice for the world's kitchens and Verlingue was ready to supply the market...beginning production of pieces with a yellow ground in the early 1920s. Note the unusual border on the last piece shown...a yellow ground bowl. In several cases, the retailers ordered table services with decorations specific to their market...in this case Nathan Sterns and Sons commissioned pieces with that particular "peacock feather" motif:
Another Verlingue innovation that was implemented during the early twenties allowed for the identification of the specific artist responsible for the decoration on each piece. This was accomplished by assigning a morse-code like "name" to each of the decorators; this system served as a means to establish one's pay as well as being useful for quality control and training purposes.
So in addition to "HB Quimper" or "HB Quimper France" in the case of a piece that was intended for export, pieces now had factory marks that included mysterious dots and dashes:
So in addition to "HB Quimper" or "HB Quimper France" in the case of a piece that was intended for export, pieces now had factory marks that included mysterious dots and dashes:
No significance, by the way if the "Q" looks like a "2" or how the initials are connected...like a signature, each painter had their own style of handwriting.
Numbers were sometimes added leading some to come to the false conclusion that the numbers represent the date of production, but this is rarely the case. In the examples shown below, in lieu of a pattern name, the numbers identify the specific form or table service:
Numbers were sometimes added leading some to come to the false conclusion that the numbers represent the date of production, but this is rarely the case. In the examples shown below, in lieu of a pattern name, the numbers identify the specific form or table service:
Pieces made for a specific retailer may have only the retailer's name, only the "morse-code" or, in the following example of a piece made for Kenilworth Studios...a wholesale distributor created by Chicago's Marshall Field's department store...a mark that notes its origin as HB in Quimper France, the specific artist and the store or distributor for which it was made.
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.