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Quimper History
Quimper is nestled at the confluence of the Odet, Steir and Jet rivers in Brittany (France). The name itself comes from the Breton ” Kemper’’ which means confluent. Many consider it as the cradle of the tradition of pottery making. Indeed, first users of the art were the Romans, which presence in Gaul (France, Belgium, and Luxembourg and a part of western Germany after the Roman conquest) was strong two thousand years ago. However, Jean-Baptiste Bousquet is credited with being the founder of the pottery industry since it was him who in 1690, first hired other craftsmen in a factory focusing on the production of utilitarium pottery such as tablewares and clay pipes.
In 1894 Jules ******* founded the Faiencerie d’Art Breton. A hundred years later, Pierre-Jules and Philippe ******* the third descendants of Jules *******, are still using the traditional techniques which have made “Quimper’’ synonymous with “pottery” worldwide.
Water, Earth, Fire, essential elements are embodied in our fine grained earthenware. Hand and spirit of the artist transform every piece into a work of art. The final firing gives life to the creation. Pierre-Jules and Philippe ******* names known wherever pottery is prized, are still located in the town of Quimper.Each piece is fully hand painted, initialed by the artist and signed FAB, the factory mark, ensuring the value and authenticity of each piece.
Technical Process
To help you discover more about the sophisticated process of creating the hihg-fire Quimper Faience, here are the main steps involved in the production of these exclusively hand designed and hand painted collectibles.
STEP 1: Biscuit
Faience is composed of clay, talc, limestone and silica, which are mixed with water. The faience is then worked into different shapes which have to be air-dried before going into the electric kiln, at a temperature of 1050 oC (1920 oF). Following the first firing, the product is very strong and is called * biscuit *.
STEP 2 : Glaze
The resulting * biscuit * is then dipped into a mix of glaze, water and tin oxide. The glaze has to be wiped away from the bottom of the wares. Missing this stepp would mean that the glaze would stick at the prop and the pieces would be destroyed.Two types of glazing techniques can be used: over glaze or under glaze.
STEP 3 : Decoration
The uniqueness of the true faience from Quimper is in the way the pieces are decorated; painted entirely by freehand brushstroke or * à la touche* in french .There is no room for decal and stencil. Since each piece is entirely handcrafted, no two pieces are the same.
STEP 4 : Firing
The pieces are then, ready for the second firing at a temperature of 940 oC (1720 oF). The whole process, including cooling, lasts 15 hours.
When the temperature reaches 190 oC , the doors of the oven can be opened and it is amazing as you can see the colors take their final hue because of the contact with the oxygen. For instance, a bright blue color is light purple before firing.
The picture of the plate above shows you the different steps as mentioned above. The lower left quadran shows the biscuit mould. Going up on the left, the next quadrant has been dipped in an opaque tin glaze and air-dried. A poncif* guideline can be seen which will dissapear after firing. The upper right illustrates the applied decorative glazes and the lower right is the finished product after the second firing.
* The painting of intricate decors may require the use of a guideline to keep the same proportions from one draw to the other. It is a piece of tracing paper on which the design has been replicated. Small holes pierce the paper the lines of the draw. A small bag filled with charcoal is then tapped against the poncif..
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