What is Limoges Known For in France?

Limoges is a city situated around 400km South of Paris in what was once the Limousin region of France now known as Nouvelle Aquitaine. It is best known for Limoges porcelain (which includes Limoges boxes, Limoges tableware and Limoges decorative items), Limoges Enamel and Limoges Cattle.

Limoges was founded by the Romans and had everything you would expect from a Roman city including baths, an amphitheater and a forum. By the 12th century Limoges was known for its enamel, mainly religious items that were exported around the Christian world.

While today Limoges is best known for its porcelain, the kaolin deposits required to make the famous hard-paste porcelain for which Limoges is known wasn’t discovered until the 18th century.

Before porcelain made the city famous it was meat that was the lifeline of t...

Is Limoges China or Porcelain?

Limoges is a city in France that is famous for its porcelain production. Limoges porcelain refers not to a specific maker or factory, but to any porcelain that comes out of the region around Limoges. The name Limoges Porcelain has been protected since 2017, so that only porcelain made in Limoges and the immediate surrounding areas that respect the traditional production techniques are allowed to carry the name Limoges Porcelain.

Limoges Porcelain is hard-paste porcelain. Sometimes referred to as “true porcelain”, hard-paste porcelain was first made in China, hence the term china is commonly used to describe porcelain. The term porcelain actually comes from the Latin word porcella which means seashell, and alludes to the smooth, white, lustrous and almost translucent nature of porcelain.

Limoges became famous for the production of hard-paste porcelain in...