Many individuals are under the false impression that Limoges is the name of a china or porcelain factory that was bombed out during the war and was never reopened, thus making their grandmother's dishes next to priceless and extremely rare.

Limoges, a city in France, is a major pottery district, an area where Kaolin, a key ingredient in the production of porcelain was discovered in 1768. Due to early transportation difficulties, French potteries began in this area.

The first French pottery in Limoges was founded in 1770 and soon after came under the Royal patronage of Comte D'Artois, the brother of King Louis XIV. King Louis eventually took over the factory in 1784, using its wares to supply the Royal decorating studios in Sevre's.

This (first and only) factory prospered until production was interrupted by the French Revolution in 1794. In 1796, at the end of the Revolution, the pottery industry was freed from the Royal monopoly and new factories were founded.

By 1807, the industry was supported by some two hundred individuals, by 1830, this number increased to over eighteen hundred. The 1850s counted some thirty-two firms exporting over seventy-five per cent of their production. During the 1920s, there were forty-eight major potteries in the area.

Economic difficulties of the 1920s and 1930s brought about the end of prosperity in the Limoges region, as with much of the world at the time, and it was not until long after World War II that it returned.

The late 1950s witnessed the introduction of gas-fired kilns. At this point, Limoges once again emerged as the leader of porcelain production in France.

In recent times, over thirty major potteries are in production in the Limoges area.

General Hint
Unlike English wares, older European porcelain rarely have a pattern name or number on the underside of the item. In many cases, only the word Limoges appears.

When contacting a matching service, whether to buy or sell older Limoges dishes, it is important to provide as much information as possible. If no pattern name is available, a photo or photocopy of a flat item such as a bread and butter plate, together with backstamp information will provide the required shape and pattern identification.

In general, matching services will only be able to be of assistance where a backstamp provides the name or identifying mark of the factory, i.e. "Elite" or "T&V", not just the work, Limoges.