Sèvres

The leading porcelain factory in Europe, founded in Vincennes in 1738 but relocated to Sèvres in the south-west of Paris in 1756. In 1759 it was taken over by King Louis XV, and has remained a state enterprise ever since.

Originally the factory produced solely soft-paste porcelain but hard-paste porcelain was also made from 1768. After 1800 only hard-paste porcelain was produced.

From the beginning, Sèvres catered for the luxury trade, and was noted particularly for rich painting and gilding, especially on vases, and biscuit figures.