HAVILAND & CO., LIMOGES CHINA

     In my antique hunts, I sometimes can find a piece or two of good French porcelain marked "Haviland & Co. Limoges".  Many of these pieces are a valued collectible and quite beautiful.  In this blog I will give some background on this remarkable china.

HISTORY

     The term "Limoges" actually refers to a region in the west-central Haute-Vienne region of France.  Many French porcelain factories are located here.  In the nineteenth century,  American businessman David Haviland visited Limoges, France in search of new business opportunities.  In the late 1830's, he began importing Limoges porcelain to his fine china store in New York City.

     By 1852, David and his family had relocated to Limoges.  He began designing, purchasing, and decorating china for export from various Limoges potteries.  Around 1865 he established his own factory in Limoges in order to manufacture the porcelain himself.  He hired and trained local artisans to produce the beautiful floral designs his company became known for.

                                                     
                                Hot Chocolate Service, Theodore Haviland, Limoges
                                                   circa 1895-1905, via Wikipedia




MARKS
 
      Other family members quickly joined David to learn the business.  In 1852, David's father sent his nephew Charles Field Haviland to Limoges.  Charles Field soon married into the Allaud family, owners of Casseaux pottery.  Charles used the mark "CFH" when he took over the business.

     In 1864, David's sons Charles Edward and Theodore joined the firm, and it  grew to be the largest factory in the Limosin District.  They took full control of the factory upon David's death in 1879, but  had a parting of ways and sold the old firm in 1891.

     The mark "Haviland et Cie" was produced by Charles Edward.  However,  he died in 1922 and by 1931, the business was closed.  Theodore then started his own factory, which produced pieces until 1952.

     Haviland  & Co. is still in business under the name Haviland Company.  It is run by Theodore Haviland II.  In addition to fine porcelain, they now also sell crystal and silverware.  There are estimated to be as many as 60,000 Haviland patterns.

                                                                         

                                                                      
                                                                         

                                              The French Farmhouse Photos

     Above, a very beautiful cream soup set with a pink floral design and French blue trim.  This piece was produced by Haviland & Co. for Charles Mayer & Co., a high-end home specialty store in Indianapolis, Indiana.  Theses old cream soup sets are particularly hard to find!
    
                                                                           

                                                                                 

                                              The French Farmhouse Photos

                                                                                                                          
     Above, another cream soup set from the same estate, this one with a dark green trim.

     The best of  luck finding your own Haviland treasures!