74 
KERAMIC STUDIO 
"ORIGIN OF THE MANUFACTURE OF PORCELAIN 
IN EUROPE." 
[CONTINUED FROM THE JUNE NUMBER,] 
HIS position of relative inferiority was the 
subject of much solicitude at the court of 
Louis XV, and it became evident that a 
serious effort must be made to remedy it 
as soon as possible. 
Consequently, when towards the year 1740, the two broth- 
ers Dubois, coming from the Chantilly factory, offered to be- 
tray to Orry de Fulvy, brother of the Comptroller General of 
Finance, the secret of the manufacture of porcelain, they found 
him quite disposed to lend a favourable ear to their overtures, 
probably owing to his conviction that he could obtain from 
Louis XV every encouragement and all the privileges required 
to start the factory he wished to establish, and which was des- 
tined to liberate France from the tribute which that country 
was at the time paying to Germany. 
These brothers Dubois had at first been employed in the 
manufactory of Saint Cloud, and subsequently in that of 
Chantilly, from which they were discharged for misconduct. 
Men's minds were, however, at that time so engrossed in the 
manufacture of porcelain, and the delicate and elegant ware 
imported into France from Saxony was so much sought after 
and enjoyed such popularity, that the proposal of the broth- 
ers was accepted with alacrity, and no inquiry was made as to 
their antecedents. 
Orry was, by his brother's support, enabled to place at 
the disposal of his coadjutors the long unused riding school of 
the Chateau of Vincennes. Unfortunately for their noble 
patron, the brothers Dubois were obliged to leave Vincennes 
after four years of fruitless attempts, and blind costly experi- 
ments, the failure of which was due to their ignorance and in- 
capacity, as well as to their misconduct, and on which they 
squandered not only the money placed at their disposal by 
Orry de Fulvy, but also a sum of 10,000 livres granted by the 
king in aid of the new undertaking. 
The enterprise was consequently on the eve of complete 
abandonment, when a man of the name of Gravant, an honest, 
intelligent and faithful workman, who had been employed by 
the brothers Dubois, and had attentively watched their exper- 
iments, suggested to M. de Fulvy that they two should con- 
tinue the attempt, at all events for a time. Gravant soon 
amply justified the confidence placed in him, and from the 
year 1745, was able to produce specimens of porcelain ware of 
sufficient merit to assure the fortune of the establishment. 
It was then Orry de Fulvy established a company of 
which nearly all the members had an interest in the formes. 
The new undertaking, with its exceptional privileges, possessed 
every element of success, but its first efforts were made under 
great difficulties, and King Louis XV had many a time to 
come to its assistance with considerable sums of money. 
Its chief aim was to compete with the German porcelain ■ 
consequently without servilely copying the forms of the Meis- 
sen models, it imitated the raised ornamentation, which it ex- 
ecuted, however, with more discriminating taste, and with 
more delicate decorative feeling. Like the Meissen works, it 
produced charming little vases decorated with floral orna. 
ments, modeled and colored an naturcl, which from the first 
met with great success and led to the manufacture of the 
floral decorations in relief, for the ornamentation of brackets, 
chandeliers, by which the manufactory first won its reputation. 
During the first few years, however, the sales were very 
small, and German porcelain, which sold at a lower price, con- 
tinued to be imported into France in large quantities; in this 
respect the new undertaking fulfilled neither the expectations 
of its founders nor the hopes entertained in high places. From 
a financial point of view it was a disaster, and it became evi- 
dent that a new departure must be made, and that success 
could only be achieved by some great effort. 
By the advice of J. B. de Machault, Count d' Arnouville, 
who had succeeded Philibert Orry as Comptroller General of 
Finance, and of Madame de Pompadour, to whose enlightened 
intelligence both the arts and industries in France owed such 
efficient protection, Louis XV extended his patronage to the 
manufactory, renewed for another twenty years the original 
privileges, and again advanced it considerable sums of money. 
The learned Hellot, Director of the Academic des Sciences, 
was entrusted with the superintendence of all that related to 
the manufacture of porcelain, the paste, colors, and firing; 
Dupleiss, the Court Jeweler, a skilful and facile artist, was 
commissioned to design the forms, and to give his whole care 
to the perfect execution of the objects, the painting and gild- 
ing of which were placed under the supervision of Mathieu, a 
fairly skillful painter in enamel, who was soon superseded by 
Bachelier, a man of originality, taste and arts, and to whom 
both Vincennes and Sevres owed the most perfect specimens 
that ever left their kilns. 
The King was induced by the progress which the manu- 
factory had, since its establishment, made in every branch of 
its business, to take a share of one third, and to openly declare 
himself its patron; he also authorized it to assume the name 
of "Manufacture Royale de la Porcelains de France," and in fu- 
ture to mark with the royal cipher all porcelain it produced. 
(The mark was given in the June number. — Ed.) 
The extensive development of the manufactory, soon ne- 
cessitated larger premises than those available at Vincennes, 
and the choice fell upon Sevres. The old manufactory was 
speedily forgotten, and soon no other but that of Sevres was 
recognized, but the fact remains that it was Vincennes that 
from 1748 to 1756 produced those fine specimens of soft por- 
celain {pate tendre) which established throughout Europe the 
fame of the Porcelainc de France. 
j» J- 
LUSTRES. 
LIGHT GREEN. 
Light Green is one of the most satisfactory colors to use. 
It seldom spots and makes many fine combinations. Used 
thin it makes a celadon tint, used thicker or in two coats it 
makes a beautiful yellowish green, and with repeated coats it 
has spots almost like apple green with pearl effects. You can 
get beautiful shaded effects by blending one coat over another 
(always firing between) and painted on, it makes a fine mala- 
chite effect. Some beautiful combinations are as follows — 
always understanding that when one color is used over an- 
other the first coat has always been fired: Light Green over 
steel, over ruby, over rose, silver, copper, purple, violet, irri- 
descent rose, chatoyant. The most effective of these combi- 
nations are over ruby, rose and violet. 
DARK GREEN. 
Dark Green can be used in every combination which is 
made with light green. It is quite as effective but is a bluer 
green, consequently all combinations will be bluer. A partic- 
ularly fine combination is dark green over purple. Both of 
these greens are fine for decorative flower and landscape work. 
They also give a rich effect washed over burnished gold. 
