French Ceramics

French ceramics have a rich history spanning over 150 years, featuring artistic innovation, technical excellence, and distinctive styles. Key periods include the Neoclassical Period (1800-1848), Art Nouveau (1890-1910), Art Deco (1920-1939), Modernist and Avant-Garde Movements (1920s-1930s), Post-War Ceramics (1922-1939), Studio Pottery Movement (1950s-present), and Contemporary Ceramics (1950s-present). French ceramics have gained international recognition for their exquisite craftsmanship and artistic expression, making a lasting impact on the world of ceramics over the past 150 years.

A stoneware vase by Auguste Delaherche (c. 1889), featuring an elegant Art Nouveau design of painted and incised peacock feathers with a rich glaze, blending organic motifs with fine craftsmanship.

Auguste Delaherche, a French ceramic artist, revolutionized studio pottery with his focus on simplicity, material beauty, and innovative glazing techniques, leaving a profound impact on modern design.Read More →

Drug Jar ca. 1544 - 1550 by Maaséot Abaquesne

Masséot Abaquesne, a revered French Renaissance potter, was renowned for his grand feu faience technique and intricate designs, significantly impacting the world of applied and decorative arts. His works remain admired and globally collected symbols of French pottery craftsmanship.Read More →

Ernest Chaplet featured image

Ernest Chaplet (1835 – 1909) was a French ceramicist, an early studio potter’ who mastered slip decoration, rediscovered stoneware, and conducted copper-red studies. From 1882 to 1885, he was the director of Charles Haviland’s workshop to study decorative processes, where he collaborated with artists such as Paul Gauguin. He eventually moved to Choisy-le-Roi, where he focused on porcelain glaze studies.Read More →

Émile Diffloth featured image

In 1899, he became artistic director of Kéramis, Belgian pottery owned by Boch Freres in La Louviere. In c1910, he moved to University City, Missouri, to work for Taxile Doat as a ceramics teacher at the School of Ceramic Art. He went back to France. He belonged to the Société des Artistes Françaises.Read More →