Thomas Hirat tells the story of the Musée du Four des Casseaux

Le musée du Four des Casseaux - La route de la porcelaine de Limoges en Haute-Vienne

In the beginning…

To fully understand the impact of the porcelain industry in Limoges, let’s start with its origins.
Porcelain originated in China between 1000 and 1080 under the Song dynasty. It was in 1295 that Europe discovered the first pieces with the return of Marco Polo. While white gold fever instantly invaded the whole of Europe, its manufacturing secrets took a long time to unravel. Until 1708, China kept one step ahead thanks to its knowledge of porcelain manufacturing and firing techniques. It was not until 400 years later that the first European porcelain industry was established in Saxony, Germany.

The first French kaolin deposits

In 1768, the first French kaolin deposits were discovered in Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche, Haute-Vienne. The first factory was built in the Casseaux district in 1816, under the impetus of the Alluaud family, already owners of the Marcognac kaolin deposit. Thanks to a number of factors (quality kaolin, abundant wood and pure water), this porcelain turned out to be of a unique quality, with exceptional whiteness and a shelf life far superior to that of its competitors. From then on, the great Parisian manufactures such as Sèvres, Vincennes and Saint-Cloud also developed their porcelain production.

The rise of Limoges porcelain

The porcelain industry in Limoges took off immediately. Intendant Turgot saw in the discovery of such an expensive and precious raw material, the opportunity to develop the region by benefiting from inexpensive labor. This economic development brought with it major technical innovations.

Until the middle of the XIXᵉ century, creating a piece of porcelain was a real craftsman’s job, but the Industrial Revolution brought a considerable leap forward in terms of productivity with the discovery of coal and new equipment. The most representative of these innovations is the round kiln with inverted flame, twice as fast as the others because it allows simultaneous double firing at 900 and 1400 degrees: temperatures that correspond to the two stages of porcelain firing.

Le Four des Casseaux

The Four des Casseaux was built in 1902 and fired its first pieces in 1904, before finally shutting down in 1957. It has a capacity of 80 m³, and can hold between 10,000 and 15,000 pieces per firing. The main challenge in its use lies in fire control, and this is reflected in the firing process, which takes almost a week per batch: 2 days to load the pieces, 30 hours for heating, 40 hours for firing, 20 hours for cooling, and the same for the second firing.

The Musée des Casseaux was created in the 1980s by a group of industrialists with a passion for history and heritage. Located on a historic site, this imposing 19thᵉ century industrial building with its remarkable architecture is a true testament to the human and technical prowess in the history of the porcelain industry. The presence of period machinery diffuses an authentic atmosphere, with the centerpiece, the kiln, at its heart. Classified as a Historic Monument in 1987 for its ingenuity and the human and industrial symbolism it represents, it is the only round furnace with an inverted flame still standing in France.

All the key elements of the city’s porcelain-making history are presented: the processing of raw materials, human investment, working conditions and the technical feats achieved to keep these kilns running, all of which contributed to Limoges’ outstanding productivity and worldwide renown.