FAÏENCERIE DE GIEN

FOR SALE IN OUR COLLECTION

It was in 1821 that the English industrialist Thomas Edme Hulm, known as "Hall" like his father, after having sold the Montereau factory managed by his family since 1774, acquired the land and buildings of the former Minimes convent in Gien to set up a new English-style earthenware factory there, which would later become world-renowned.

The company experienced financial difficulties very quickly and changed hands several times in the period 1826-1862. However, in 1842, the company then called "Guyon, de Boulen & Cie", took over its local competitor, the Briare earthenware factory, which was in decline, before losing control of it a year later. It became "Geoffroy, Guérin & Cie", was managed by Gustave Charles Gondouin, and employed five hundred workers at the time. Between 1864 and 1866, the need for fresh money was felt - particularly due to the damage caused by the great flood of the Loire in 1866 - and led to the arrival of a new provider of capital, Jean-Félix Bapterosses, recent buyer of the old Briare earthenware factory, which had since become the Briare enamels. The company finally took the name "Faïencerie de Gien" in 1875 on the occasion of its transformation into a public limited company, whose first chairman of the board of directors was Jean-Félix Bapterosses6. His descendants kept control of the factory until 1983; Xavier Chodron de Courcel was the last descendant to be its chairman and CEO.

Gien earthenware tiles were used to decorate Paris metro stations, such as here at the "Porte de Clichy" station.

The production initially focused on utilitarian tableware and then moved towards the manufacture of tableware, decorative pieces and services with the coats of arms of the great families. The significant production of oil lamps is a specificity of Gien. In 1882, the company also launched into the manufacture of ceramic covering tiles. In particular, it won the Paris metropolitan market in 1906 (the famous 7.5 × 15 cm bevelled metro tiles)7. The production of wall tiles stopped around 1980.

The Gien earthenware makers developed the technique of encircled enamels, born in Longwy in Lorraine, around 1870.

The peak of the Gien earthenware makers' production was between 1855 and 1900 and they were awarded numerous prizes at major international exhibitions, such as in 1855, 1867, 1878, 1889 and 1900.