Limoges Porcelain Eggs for Easter

A Limoges porcelain egg is the perfect Easter gift. These eggs are really Limoges porcelain boxes in the form of an egg and can be used as a wonderful container for another gift; a gift within a gift. They were often used to house perfume or jewelry. They are small but exquisite, delicate but strong, pretty, romantic and yet these eggs are the very symbol of Easter. Not only are they lovely objects, but these Limoges boxes are highly collectible, so you'll be making an investment as well as buying a gift.

Limoges boxes in the shape of eggs are linked toFabergé eggs. Faberge began to make fabulously decorated eggs in the 19th century when Czar Alexander III commissioned the Russian jewellers to make an Easter Egg as a gift for his wife, the Empress Maria. Giving the gift of a decorated egg with a little something extra inside became a tradition.

Why not carry that tradition on a little longer?

What could be a more charming Easter gift than a hand painted egg made from Limoges porcelain? Limoges is an ancient city situated in the S W of France and is the capital of Limousin, a little known and therefore unexploited area deep in the heart of rural France. If you have heard of Limousin, it will probably be for its famous beef cattle or for its possibly even more famous porcelain. In the past, it was called 'The Red City' because the kilns burned all night and the flames painted the skies red.

Today there is still a thriving trade in Porcelain. There are many lovely little shops in Limoges itself, or factory shops and large outlets both within the city and around it. If you love Limoges Porcelain, a shopping trip to Limousin is a must! (I am biased, though, as I love living here and I run a Bed and Breakfast, holiday cottage, and painting holidays at Les Trois Chenes!) If you can't manage a trip here, you can buy genuine Limoges porcelain on-line, but beware - there are imitations. Make sure you're buying the real thing so that you can ensure excellent quality.

The porcelain industry here produces a wide range of products, whole dinner services, beautiful lamps, elegant vases, but perhaps the most collectable because of their variety and size, is the little Limoges box. These porcelain boxes became fashionable when Josephine, the wife of Napoleon started to collect them. The most powerful families in Europe picked up the fashion and today the Limoges jewel boxes are collected all around the world. What better gift for any occasion than one of these exquisite boxes. And if you're thinking about giving one as an Easter gift, then you're in good company! (Read on ...)

The link with Fabergé and eggs goes back to the 19th century when Czar Alexander III commissioned the Russian jewellers to make an Easter Egg as a gift for his wife, the Empress Maria. The Czar placed an order for another Egg the following year and from 1887 onwards the Imperial Easter Eggs became more elaborately decorated and each one would contain a surprise object. According to the Fabergé Family tradition, not even the Tsar knew what form they would take and it was the work of the French porcelain artists in the late 18th and early 19th centuries who produced the original boxes, which inspired Fabergé.

There are two types of Limoges porcelain eggs, (at least), boxes decorated with eggs and boxes in the shape of eggs.

Find out more: World’s Best Easter Eggs: the Gifts of Fabergé

The link between Fabergé and Limoges was continued when Fabergé commissioned porcelain from the cities factories, and today you can buy Limoges porcelain boxes such as The Imperial Porcelain Box Collection, made by La Seynie and decorated with transfers of eggs designed by Fabergé

Other porcelain boxes were made in the form of a Fabergé egg and decorated in Fabergé style, DuBarry is only one of a very long list of porcelain producers in the area. This is an excellent example of the uniting of two great artistic traditions. The pretty eggs in the illustration are made by Limoges Boutique and illustrate the range, beauty and ingenuity utilised in the design and execution of porcelain eggs. The little 'surprise' hidden in many of these boxes varies and you can see perfume boxes, Easter chicks and thimbles hidden in some of these.

The Musée national Adrien Dubouché is conveniently situated near the centre of Limoges in Place Winston Churchill. It's a beautiful building in its own right and houses a huge collection of Limoges ceramics and porcelain. Founded in 1845, it was with the arrival of Adrien Dubouché in 1852, that the museum was able to grow, to influence and to supported the porcelain industry in Limoges. When you visit you'll see displays of techniques and objects from the four major families of ceramics: pottery, faience, stoneware, porcelain. It devotes two large sections to Limoges porcelain, China porcelain and a remarkable collection of glass from the Middle Ages to the 20th century.

At the turn of the century there were 35 porcelain works in Limoges with an annual production of up to 3,000 firings, and that industry continues today, but perhaps not on the same scale. You can visit factories and watch the porcelain being made, and buy porcelain from one of the many boutiques and factory shops in and around Limoges. If you want to take a walk into the past, you can visit one of the ancient kilns at Casseaux on the banks of the river Vienne in Limoges. The kiln is spectacular and there is an interesting little video and exhibition to see. Read more about the history of porcelain in Limoges in White Plates of Limoges, Princess of Porcelain

Then why not join us for a painting Holiday. Learn to paint and draw in this beautiful part of rural France. There's no lack of inspiration here! Small classes and qualified tutors mean that you can learn what you want, when you want - within reason of course!

Visit our web site, but do remember that these dates and topics are a little arbitrary. In reality you can use any media you like and individual attention can be given to each student, beginners and improvers. We get out and about to see a bit of the surrounding countryside, so why not come an join us here in Limousin?