Acquiring an authentic French porcelain Limoges box has become easier and easier nowadays. To acquire a beautiful, collectible and gift-worthy French Limoges box, you need to know a few criteria in selecting the right item for your collection or the perfect gift.
Purchasing valuable objects online has become the norm in the internet age. Shoppers that only made purchases from brick and mortar stores in the past, are now quite comfortable buying online. Not only that, but shopping internationally has also become very common. With credit card companies offering secure transaction protection and purchase safety, shoppers can now be quite at ease when making purchases online with the great convenience of shopping at home.
When it comes to purchasing an authentic French Limoges box either for your own collection or as a gift, if you are not very familiar with these collectible art pieces, you may have some questions or concerns in buying them online.
Before purchasing a peint main Limoges porcelain box online, shoppers, and especially first-time buyers, would be much more confident in knowing the answers to certain questions. Below are the top 10 questions on the minds of shoppers, with answers and a shopping guide to finding the perfect Limoges box for your collection or the perfect gift.
1. How can I be sure a Limoges box is authentic?
The authenticity of a Limoges box comes from the insignia that can be found at the base or in the interior of the Limoges box. A genuine French Limoges box bears the stamp or hand-inscribed insignia of the artist. In order for the Limoges box to be authentic, it must be completely produced in Limoges, France. Limoges artists, workshops or factories sign their creations in various ways. Some use a stamp (under the glaze), some use a combination of a stamp as well as hand-signing the piece with their initial and/or number, and others only sign their creations by hand. All these methods are quite common and completely acceptable as proof of authenticity. The markings in the insignia of a hand-painted Limoges box must include: “Peint Main,” “Peint a la Main” or “Décor Main” which means the piece is painted and decorated by hand. The insignia must also include “Limoges France” designating the country of manufacture. If you want to know more about the authenticity of Limoges boxes, see How to tell if a Limoges box is authentic.
Examples of authentic French porcelain Limoges boxes | LimogesCollector.com
There are many replicas and Limoges-style boxes offered online. Many shoppers buy a fake Limoge box without realizing that it is a knock-off. To be sure you are getting the highest quality authentic French Limoges box, it is best to purchase it from a reputable Limoges dealer or importer who offers 100% guarantee of authenticity. At LimogesCollector.com, we offer 100% guarantee of authenticity for every Limoges box we sell. As direct importers, we receive our Limoges boxes directly from the artists in Limoges, France. So the Limoges boxes you purchase from us are each a wonderful work of art created by master artisans in Limoges, France.
2. How do I determine the quality of a Limoges box?
The quality of porcelain and artwork of a Limoges box can vary dramatically depending on numerous factors. Some Limoges styles are very simple with small amount of hand-painting while others may only have decals as decoration. The painting on a Limoges box can also have quite a bit of difference in quality. Some boxes have additional artwork in the interior or an accessory porcelain piece inside. There are various artists in Limoges whose artwork and skills are at differing levels. Only a select group of Limoges artists are regarded as master artisans whose creations are considered art pieces. Limoges boxes hand-painted by such artists with elaborate paintings are of much higher quality and value.
Importers and dealers who only work with the top artists in Limoges can be relied upon to offer Limoges boxes that are of the highest quality porcelain, craftsmanship and painting.
3. What brands of Limoges boxes are the best?
Contrary to what some may think, “Limoges” is not a brand. All Limoges boxes produced in the Limousine region of France are considered authentic. There are various porcelain factories in this region that produce Limoges products such as tableware, decorative items as well as miniature Limoges boxes. Limoges boxes are produced under many brands and some are crafted by independent artists with no specific brand name. Brands such as Artoria, Beauchamp, Rochard, Chamart, and others, commission the services of various artists in Limoges whose expertise and artistry in porcelain painting are at different levels. Many of the current Limoges producers have very high levels of artistry and workmanship. There are also many brands that are retired and no longer in production, such as Chanille, PV, and others. Some Limoges boxes produced under such brands are also of high quality. At LimogesCollector.com, we are proud to offer the largest selection of Limoges boxes by Beauchamp Limoges, the top-of-the-line luxury brand of Limoges boxes. Beauchamp Limoges offers a vast selection of Limoges boxes in every theme, designed and crafted by the very best of Limoges artisans.
4. How can I know if a Limoges box is painted by hand?
The Limoges artist community is very strict in adhering to the correct designation for all pieces produced. All hand-painted Limoges boxes are marked as “Peint Main” or “Peint a la Main” as to authenticate that the Limoges is indeed painted by hand. Some boxes can have a combination of an artist hand-applied decal as well as hand-painting enhancements. Such Limoges boxes are marked “Rehaussé Main,” meaning enhanced by hand. Certain boxes, such as some cobalt blue styles, have only decals as decoration. These boxes are marked as “Limoges, France” with no mention of hand-painting.
5. Why are Limoges boxes so expensive?
If you have newly been familiarized with French Limoges boxes, you may wonder why these tiny objects are so highly priced. Limoges artistry is considered a Rare France Craft. Created by master artisans in the Limousine region of central France, Limoges boxes are crafted and hand-painted individually through a very lengthy and labor-intensive process. Each stage of the porcelain creation, glazing and multiple firings requires great skill and takes up to several days for a white porcelain piece to be crafted. The painting is then performed by a porcelain painter. The artist applies designs in various colors, which are minerals mixed with special oils. The painting is done in multiple stages as each mineral needs to be fired at a different temperature. Therefore, the more colors used in a Limoges box, the more times it needs to be fired. The final stage of the Limoges creation is metalwork which is performed by a specialized Limoges metal craftsman. The hinging process is quite lengthy and complicated. Porcelain pieces shrink and slightly change in size and shape when fired. Therefore, each porcelain piece receives an individual hand-fitted metal piece crafted by hand for its specific size. This complicated process by multiple Limoges artisans creates a work of art that is truly worthy of its high value.
6. Where are Limoges boxes made?
As mentioned above, in order for a Limoges box to be authentic, it must be produced in the Limousine region of central France, which includes the city of Limoges as well as its surrounding towns and villages. There are various small porcelain factories in and around Limoges that produce the white porcelain. Some factories have their own decorators who paint the porcelain by hand. Other workshops and independent artists obtain the white porcelain shapes from porcelain factories and paint them in their own studios. The final stage of completing a Limoges box is metalwork which is performed by specialty porcelain metal artists in Limoges.
To know more about Limoges, France, its history, sites and so much more, see About Limoges France.
7. What is a Retired Limoges box?
Many collectors prefer retired and vintage Limoges boxes not only for their beauty and style but also because many such styles have become quite hard-to-find. A Limoges box is considered “retired” for various reasons. Below are three of the most common reasons:
1. The full limited edition number for the style of Limoges box was produced. The Limoges box created with that specific design, coloring or shape is then retired.
2. The factory, workshop or studio where the Limoges box was produced has closed and the style and mark of the factory is retired as a result.
3. The artist who produced the certain style is no longer producing. All his/her creations are then retired.
To find out more details about retired Limoges boxes, see What Is A Retired Limoges Box And Why Is It Collected?
8. Where can I buy Limoges boxes online?
Limoges boxes are offered for sale on various websites. Some websites specialize and are dedicated only to Limoges while others offer them as a segment of many other products. You can find Limoges boxes on auctions sites and collectibles sites as well.
In order to be sure you are purchasing an authentic Limoges box with the highest quality, a trusted website that offers a very large selection imported directly from Limoges, France is a great source. Shoppers look for websites that not only offer the highest quality Limoges boxes at reasonable prices but, also provide 100% authenticity guarantee, fast shipping and excellent customer service. LimogesCollector.com, with two decades of serving collectors and gift shoppers in the US and internationally, offers a vast selection of French Limoges boxes for every taste and style preference.
9. Do Limoges boxes retain their value?
Those of you who love and collect French porcelain Limoges boxes will be very happy to know that your cherished collectibles are not only highly sought after but their value is continuously on the rise. Limoges boxes are not mass-produced. All are made in limited editions, whether they are marked as such or not, and many styles are crafted in small numbers. This makes any style of Limoges box highly desirable. The value of Limoges boxes in general has increased consistently over the decades. In recent years, as more and more people have come to love and collect these beautiful objects in the United States, these treasured art pieces have enjoyed a rapid appreciation in value. Many retired Limoges styles, especially those licensed by companies Disney, Coca Cola and Peanuts, among others, have increased dramatically in value. To learn more, see Are Limoges Boxes Collected As An Investment?
10. Do Limoges boxes serve any purpose?
As beautiful miniature art pieces, Limoges boxes are wonderful decorative collectibles to display and enhance the décor of any home or place of business.
Originally, when snuff-taking was in vogue, Limoges boxes were used mainly as snuff boxes. They were also used as pill boxes or to hold other tiny objects such as sewing pins, a lock of hair or even to hold a small love note. Today, other than being decorative art pieces, Limoges boxes are still known and used as pill boxes. Many give a gift of a Limoges box for a newborn to hold baby teeth or a lock of hair. Limoges boxes, depending on their size, can hold rings, earrings and other jewelry pieces as well as other small objects – that is left to the imagination of the beholder. For more details, see What Are Limoges Boxes Used For?
Now take a moment to browse the extensive selection of over 5,000 styles of French peint main Limoges boxes at LimogesCollector.com. You can find Limoges boxes for every occasion or just for fun. If you are not ready to buy right now, you can just login and place any pieces that catch your fancy into your “Wish List” and come back and purchase them later.
Enjoy!
