210

Limoges

Several Limoges boxes have been crafted

incorporating a corkscrew design. Limoges

porcelain boxes are produced in France. They are

a hard paste porcelain made from Kaolin clay

which is a white clay. Although Porcelain had

been produced in China for centuries, it was not

until the early 17th Century that Kaolin was found

in Germany and European Porcelain production

was begun. In the late 18th Century Kaolin in St.

Yrieix 18 miles Southwest of Limoges, France.

Shorty after the discovery of Kaolin at St. Yrieix, the first porcelain Limoges box factory

was established. Within a short period of time a number of competing companies were

in operation.

It is important to note that

―

Limoges box

‖

is not a brand name or the name of a single

factory. There are many studios in Limoges using the Limoges mark. Currently there

are about 35 producers employing anywhere from six to four hundred workers. The

boxes are hand painted resulting in slight differences in each genuine Limoges box.