Several Decrees of the King's Council of State, issued in 1753, 1760, and 15 February 1766, placed significant restrictions on the development of Paris porcelain manufactories, as well as those throughout the Kingdom of France. These decrees established the regulations governing porcelain production in relation to the Royal Porcelain Manufactory of Vincennes, later transferred to Sèvres. Independent porcelain manufacturers were required to mark every piece they produced with their own factory mark and to register these marks officially with the relevant authorities.

While the Royal Manufactory at Vincennes—and subsequently at Sèvres—enjoyed the exclusive privilege of producing "painted and gilded porcelain in the Saxon manner," several provincial manufactories and a number of independent Parisian porcelain makers sought to challenge this monopoly. However, the decree of 1760 introduced certain concessions, permitting smaller manufactories to produce blue-and-white porcelain in the Chinese style.

Consequently, when deposits of the fine white clay known as kaolin were discovered at Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche (Haute-Vienne) in 1769, Paris possessed virtually no manufactories capable of producing true hard-paste porcelain. This discovery profoundly transformed the French porcelain industry, making it possible to manufacture true hard-paste porcelain in France. It also encouraged the establishment of numerous Parisian manufactories, paving the way for the remarkable flourishing of Paris porcelain during the closing decades of the eighteenth century and throughout the nineteenth century.

This period witnessed the emergence of many celebrated Parisian porcelain manufacturers, whose wares became renowned for their technical excellence, refined decoration, and exceptional artistic quality. Today, Paris porcelain is regarded as one of the finest expressions of French ceramic art from the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, highly prized by collectors and museums worldwide.

Ronan Lelandais
Fine Art Expert
Supplier to Museums