ROUEN CERAMICS MUSEUM - Musées de Rouen

ROUEN CERAMICS MUSEUM

HISTORY OF THE
CERAMICS MUSEUM
The story of the Ceramics Museum is closely linked to the growing interest shown
by nineteenth-century Rouen collectors in the « faïence » (tin-glazed earthenware) of
their city. In 1861, a group of collectors, under the leadership of the comte de Germiny,
exhibited for the fi rst time some masterpieces from their collections of Rouen faïence
at the Palais de Justice.
As a direct result of this fi rst public presentation, the City of Rouen purchased the
1100 ceramics from the exceptional collection formed by André Pottier (1799-1867)
and installed them in 1864 in a gallery in the cloister of the Departmental Antiquities
Museum. Pottier himself became the curator of this fi rst Ceramics Museum, and after
his death his notes were collated and published in 1870 under the title Histoire de la
faïence de Rouen. This was to be the fi rst of erudite publications on this subject.
Gifts from further generous local collectors such as the Abbé Colas, Alfred Darcel,
Gustave Gouellain and Gaston Le Breton further enriched the municipal ceramics
collection, which was installed in a gallery in the newly built Musée des Beaux-Arts,
inaugurated in 1888.
It was decided in the 1930s to transfer these collections to the Hôtel d’Hocqueville,
but it was not until 1984 that the Ceramics Museum fi nally opened to the public in this
former townhouse.
In 2009, the museum started to redesign its ceramic display: the Masséot Abaquesne
gallery has been renovated; a dining table and a dressing table have been created to
show how faïence was used in the eighteenth century. In addition, an intimate pleasure
garden has been designed.
Vase with fl ame top, Rouen, around 1730

THE HÔTEL D’HOCQUEVILLE
Built on the foundations of the former La Cohue prison, which was demolished in 1655,
the townhouse which now houses the Ceramics Museum was built in 1657 for Pierre
de Becdelièvre, seigneur d’Hocqueville and Premier Président of the Cour des Aydes
of Rouen. Built of stone, the house stands between a paved courtyard and a terrassed
garden, beyond which stands a timber-framed house of the fi fteenth century.
Around 1740, the owners built a music pavilion shaped as a semi-rotunda at the far end
of the garden. In the second half of the eighteenth century, the building was altered.
A pavilion was added to the main building, providing the fi rst fl oor with a majestic
entrance hall and a grand staircase.
In 1775, Esprit Robert Marie Le Roux, baron d’Esneval, purchased the Hôtel
d’Hocqueville from the heirs of the Becdelièvre family. He renewed the interior decoration
of the reception rooms to make them conform to the neo-classical taste of the
period. This decoration remained in situ until its partial dismantling in 1910. In 1790,
the house was sold to the Delahaye-Descours family, and then in 1826 to the Bataille de
Bellegarde family. In 1910, after the death of Albert Bataille de Bellegarde, the collector
Paul Guilbert moved in.
In 1936, the City of Rouen purchased the Hôtel d’Hocqueville to house the ceramics
collection for which there was not enough room in the Musée des Beaux-Arts. But for
a long time the building was used for different purposes, including by the local music
college, until it was fi nally arranged as a ceramics museum and opened as such in 1984.

THE MASSÉOT
ABASQUENE GARDEN
The garden has been redesigned. Set on a terrace, with its walls and outbuildings, its
historical origin has been enhanced with contemporary aesthetics. A glazed stoneware
garden fi gure from Sèvres, dating from around 1920, now presides over the centre of
the lawn.
The garden has been renamed in honour of Masséot Abasquene, the fi rst great Normandy
ceramist, who worked in Rouen from 1526 to 1564. In its renewed form, it has
closer links with the building and the collections it houses.
God Pan
Sèvres manufactory, sculptor Maignan author
of the model (1913). 1923-1930. Glazed stoneware

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16 th CENTURY
2
THE COLLECTIONS
17 th CENTURY
With more than five thousand pieces, the museum is able to
show the most important public collection in France of faïence
made in Rouen. On three fl oors are presented a complete history
of Rouen faïence, from the sixteenth century to the end of
the eighteenth century. While Rouen faïence accounts for more
than two thirds of the museum’s collection, collections of other
faïence help to place Rouen in the context of european ceramics,
from the fi fteenth century to the 1930s.
The visit starts with a display of the earliest european faïence: maiolica,
produced in Italy from the fi fteenth to the seventeenth century.
It continues with the production of the early Rouen workshops of
Masséot Abaquesne (around 1550 to before 1564) in the second half
of the sixteenth century, and with a presentation of French glazed
earthenware of the sixteenth to the nineteenth century.
On the fi rst and second fl oors, the seventeenth and eighteenth
century galleries form the heart of the collections. Here are shown
the masterpieces of Rouen faïence: blue monochrome, radiating
decoration in blue and red, ocre niellé, chinoiseries and cornucopia
designs… Groups of objects from the Low Countries, Nevers,
Lille and Moustiers are displayed with them to invite comparison.
After these can be seen nineteenth and twentieth century porcelain
from the Sèvres national porcelain factory. And fi nally two galleries
with general porcelain and creamware displays.
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4
5
1. Tiled fl oor from the
Bastie d’Urfé
Rouen, workshop of Masséot
Abaquesne, around 1557
2. Dish, Le Dévouement de
Marcus Curtius
Italy, Castel Durante,
around 1550-1560
3. Dish, Esther aux pieds
d’Assuérus
Fontainebleau workshop (also
known as Avon), early seventeenth
century
4. Dish with arms,
probably those of Poterat
Rouen, workshop of Edme Poterat,
1647
5. Bust of Winter
Rouen, Poterat workshop,
late seventeenth century
6. Helmet-shaped ewer
Rouen, around 1720
7. Bowl
Rouen, around 1725
8. Tray, Triomphe de
Neptune
Rouen, 1726
9. Teapot from a service
chinois réticulé
Sèvres, 1872-1878
10. Fennel coffepot
Sèvres, 1898-1900
18 th CEN

TURY
6
7
19 th CENTURY
ROUEN FAIENCE
8
20 th CENTURY
The history of Rouen faïence stretches over nearly three hundred years, from the sixteenth
to the end of the eighteenth century. Rouen’s success is due to the coming
together of several positive factors: a good quality clay, a trading and transport network
helped by the Seine river, and a rich urban aristocracy, which formed a broad base of
clients both as regular purchasers and in the ordering of prestigious pieces.
In about 1526, Masséot Abaquesne, a potter from Normandy, set up his workshop in
Rouen. In 1644, the Queen Regent Ann of Austria granted an exclusive patent to Nicolas
Poirel, lord of the manor of Grandval and a court offi cial, to manufacture tin-glazed
earthenware in Rouen for the next fi fty years. His manufactory, on the left bank of the
Seine, was run by Edme Poterat, who purchased the patent from Poirel de Grandval in
1674. The Poterat family was to develop Rouen faïence until the end of the seventeenth
century, so that it became the equal of the other important faïence producing centres
such as Nevers and Lille. In around 1698, the Poterat family’s exclusive patent came to
an end, and further manufactories were founded.
The fi rst half of the eighteenth century was a golden age for Rouen faïence: eighteen
factories were founded in the Saint-Sever quarter on the left bank. This competitive
atmosphere resulted in the production of many masterpieces of painting and sculpture,
with newly-developed fi ring techniques and styles of decoration. In the second half of
the eighteenth century, the Rouen factories continue to produce high-fi red faïence,
though this technique limited the range of available colours to fi ve. But at this period
competition came through new products such as porcelain, creamware and low-fi red
faïence, which all had a greater palette of colours. The decline started in the 1770s,
with the factories closing one after the other in the fi rst half of the nineteenth century.
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10

A TABLE LAID WITH ROUEN FAÏENCE
FOR THE DESSERT COURSE
A table has been laid with a dessert course of the end of the eighteenth century, in this
salon with its Louis XVI decoration. It includes Rouen faïence with blue monochrome
painting of the early eighteenth century, as well as eighteenth century glass.
« Service à la française » is the name given to the way of laying a table and serving
dishes to the guests which was in use until the early nineteenth century. All the dishes
are brought to the table at the same time and displayed in a symetrical manner. We are
told by Alexandre Grimod de la Reynière in his Almanach des gourmands of 1804 that a
grand dinner normally comprised four courses: « the fi rst included the potages (stews
and soups), the hors-d’œuvre (starters), the relevés (spicy dishes) and the entrées; the
second the roasts and salads; the third cold patés and all kinds of entremets (various
cold dishes); fi nally the dessert, which included fruit, fruit compotes, biscuits, cheese,
a variety of sweets and pastries, jams and ices ». In the eighteenth century, the table
became a true visual delight with lavish ephemeral decorations symetrically arranged:
the various serving dishes were placed according to specifi c plans, with elaborate centrepieces
made of silver or sugar surrounded by pyramids of fruit and sweets on special
trays of different heights and sizes.
The table laid here bears witness to the variety of shapes which can be found on the
table: in the centre, a footed tazza on which stand stemmed glasses used for glazed
fruit (called « gobichons » in Gillier’s Le Cannaméliste français of 1768), sugar casters,
small glass footed trays known as « guéridons », cruet stands, a spice box containing
pepper, nutmeg and cloves, a salt cellar, bread baskets and bowls for compotes, creams
or jellies.
Until the nineteenth century, for formal dinners, servants would stand behind each
guest, handing them glasses and taking them away once they had drunk, so that glasses
do not remain on the table. The various necessities for serving wine, such as bottles,
glasses and wine coolers were placed on console tables or sideboards. By the end of the
eighteenth century, it had become usual in intimate dinners such as the one recreated
here to place glasses, decanters and wine coolers full of ice on the table, where they
did not have a specifi cally ordered place.

The table laid with Rouen faience for the dessert course and the large decorative chargers
The large hanging dishes bear witness to the technical competence of Rouen’s faïence
manufacturers, who produced, at the end of the seventeenth century and in the fi rst
third of the eighteenth, large decorative dishes measuring 19 to 22 inches diameter.
Decorated in the centre with coats of arms and on the borders with radiating lambrequins,
these large dishes in blue monochrome sometimes with red and ochre highlights
are magnifi cent examples, often ordered by the aristocracy, and intended purely for
display, either on the shelves of large sideboards, or, since most of them have two holes
in the back, hanging on walls.

DRESSING TABLE
This display shows various elements in use at the « toilette » (dressing table). The shapes
of the most lavish silver fi ttings have inspired the Rouen faïence manufacturers. The
toilette consisted of various events, from the intimate ablutions performed in private
« cabinets », to the formal toilette which included the arrangement of hair, make-up
and dress. Carefully scripted so as to be performed in public in a bedroom, the formal
toilette was a social occasion after the « lever » (formal act of rising from one’s bed),
and could be the scene of business meetings, courtesy calls or even to receive a suitor.
On a table with linen and muslin skirting are displayed various objects in faïence, silver,
glass and wood used for a lady’s toilette in the second half of the eighteenth century. The
Rouen faïence pieces presented here have polychrome chinoiserie or cornucopia motifs.
Lady at her dressing table, Moreau le Jeune
Late eighteenth century. Engraving, Paris
bibliothèque des Arts décoratifs

GLOSSARY
TECHNIQUE
Ceramics: this generic term comes from the
greek keramos meaning « clay ». It is used for all
objects made of fi red clay.
There are four major ceramic types, each with a
particular composition of their paste and different
ways of fi ring: pottery, stoneware, faïence and
porcelain.
Pottery or fi red earth: the oldest ceramic produced
by man. It is made of a basic clay fi red
around 600 to 900°C. This fi rst fi ring turns the clay
into a « biscuit » which may be painted and covered
with a colourless lead-based glaze.
Faïence or tin-glazed earthenware: this appeared
in the Middle East by the eighth century, is found
in Spain from the tenth to the fourteenth century,
and in Italy from the thirteenth to the fourteenth
century, before spreading to the remainder of Europe.
It is made of a mixture of malleable clays.
After a fi rst fi ring around 800 to 900°C, the biscuit
is dipped into a bath of glaze containing tin oxide.
Upon fi ring, this coating becomes impermeable
and makes the whole surface white, so that it may
be decorated by artists with colours. It is then
fi red a second time, fi rst at around 500°C (known
as low fi ring), and then up to around 1000°C to fi x
the colours.
From the middle of the eighteenth century, French
faïence manufacturers used a new low fi red technique,
around 600-700°C, which enabled a greater
variety of colours to be employed, such as pink,
pale green and gold.
Stoneware: fi rst found in China around the
fourth century, stoneware became widespread in
the West during the Middle Ages. It is made of
a clay containing a high proportion of silica, and
becomes totally impermeable after its high temperature
fi ring at around 1250°C. Most often of a
grey or brown colour, stoneware is very opaque,
and the extreme heat of its fi ring produces a very
bonded texture.
Porcelain: this is the only ceramic through which
you can shine a light, because its body is composed
of white and translucent materials vitrifi
ed by the heat of the kiln. There are two types
of porcelain, known as soft paste (a mixture of
chalk and sand) and hard paste (made of kaolin,
feldspath and quartz). The fi rst French soft-paste
porcelain was made in Rouen in the late seventeenth
century, and the most famous soft-paste
porcelain was produced at Sèvres, while Meissen
in Germany is best known for its hard-paste porcelain.
Maiolica: name given to Italian Renaissance faïence,
as well as to the earliest French ones, either
produced by Italians, or according to Italian technique
and style (in the sixteenth and seventeenth
century). Maiolica is often decorated with historical
or mythological scenes (known as a istoriato).

STAGES IN THE
MANUFACTURE
OF ROUEN FAIENCE
Biscuit: ceramic paste fi red at a high temperature
without glaze or decoration
High-fi red decoration: fi red biscuit is dipped in
a bath of glaze then painted. It is then fi red at
900°-1000° C. Only fi ve colours can be used at this
temperature: blue, red, green, brown and yellow.
Low-fi red decoration: this was developed in
France in the middle of the eighteenth century.
After the stages described above more decoration
is added and the pieces are fi red at around 600°-
700° C, allowing for further colours and shades.
Glazing: pieces are dipped into a solution of the
glaze components in water.
DECORATION
A compendiario: a type of decoration with a small
palette of colours (blue, yellow or green). The
white glazed ground remains visible.
Chinoiserie: the East India Companies’ ships
returned to Europe in the seventeenth and eighteenth
century with Chinese porcelain with oriental
motifs such as dragons, pagods, or lush vegetation.
These were copied fi rst in Dutch faïence,
then all over Europe. In the eighteenth century,
chinoiserie decoration became extremely fashionable,
and was applied to all the branches of the
decorative arts, such as tapestries or furniture.
Grotesques: decorative motifs found from the
Renaissance in the sixteenth century, after the
discovery in Rome of Ancient sites (underground,
therefore in grottoes), including Nero’s Domus
Aurea. They continued to be fashionable in the
seventeenth century; the Berain family of designers
are known for their grotesques at the time of
Louis XIV.
Lambrequin: decorative motifs shaped as repeated
hanging fl aps of fabric or embroidery. They
form the basis of decoration on Rouen faïence
from the end of the seventeenth century.
Ocre niellé: one of the more original forms of
decoration at Rouen, usually found only on prestigious
pieces. Areas of an ochre colour are overlaid
with black scrolls, in the same way as niello
decoration (a kind of enamel) is applied on silver.
Templates: artists painted freehand, but sometimes
with the help of templates. These sheets
of paper or metal pierced with patterns of holes
were applied to the pieces, and charcoal dust was
sprinkled over them, allowing the motifs to appear
on the objects.

GROUND FLOOR
RECEPTION
1 st FLOOR
ENTRANCE
1. How a faience is made
2. Italian Majolica
Dish, Venus faisant forger les traits
de l’Amour par Vulcain, Urbino, around 1530
3. Masséot Abaquesne
Albarello
Rouen, workshop of Masséot Abaquesne, around 1545
4. Glazed earthenware from Normandy
Bernard Palissy and his followers
German stoneware
4
3
1 2
2
3

FIRST FLOOR
5 6 7
5. Edme Poterat, blue monochrome
6. A table laid with Rouen faience
7. Red and blue decoration, ocre niellé
Dish, Le Bâtonnet et la charrue . Rouen, around 1725
8. The Low Countries and Delft, Nevers,
Lille and Moustiers
Violin. Delft, around 1710
9. Glass and the busts of the Seasons
Bust, from the Seasons series, Autumn
as Bacchus. Fouquay factory, around 1730
A. Porcelain room
(to see at the end of your visit,
on the way down)
A
8
8
9
2 nd FLOOR
9
7

SECOND FLOOR
17
10. Five colour decoration
11. The dressing table and its fi ttings
12. Panelling from the music room,
vases with fl ame tops
13. Faience painting and sculpture
Terrestrial globe. Rouen, Le Coq de Villeray factory,
painter Pierre II Chapelle, 1725, faience
14. Sèvres
Vase carré aux cariatides.
shape designed by Albert Carrier-Belleuse, 1880
15. Eclecticism, Art Nouveau and Art deco
François Pompon, Hippopotamus. After 1918
16. Pagods and Chinoiseries
Bread basket . La Chasse au lion. Rouen, around 1735
17. Rococo and cornucopia decoration,
low-fi red faience
B. Creamware (mezzanine)
16
15
15
14
13
16
13
Creamware gallery
(mezzanine)
12
SORTIE
14
10
11
B

PRACTICAL
INFORMATION
OPENING DAYS AND TIMES
Every day except Tuesday from 2pm to 6pm
The museum is closed on 1 January, 1 and
8 May, 14 July, 15 August, 1 and 11 November,
and 25 December.
ENTRANCE CHARGES
Full charge : 3 ¤
Reduced charge : 2 ¤
Entrance is free to those under 26 and to the
unemployed.
No entrance charges are payable to the
permanent collections on the fi rst Sunday
of each month.
MUSÉE DE LA CÉRAMIQUE
Design: l’atelier de communication
Photography Credits: © Musées de la ville de Rouen / © Agence Albatros
INFORMATION AND RESERVATIONS
ACCESS
By bus: square Verdrel stop - rue Jeanne-d’Arc
(4, 8, 11, 13) Beaux-Arts stop - rue Lecanuet
(4, 5, 11, 13, 20)
By Metrobus: main train SNCF station
or Palais de Justice
By train: Rouen station, fi ve minutes walk down
the rue Jeanne d’Arc
SERVICES
Shop (catalogue of the collections, post cards,
jewellery…)
Cloakroom
Visiting aids (French, braille, large print in French)
Service des Publics
Musées de Rouen
Esplanade Marcel Duchamp / 76000 Rouen
Tél. : + 33 (0)2 35 52 00 62 / Fax : + 33 (0)2 32 76 70 90
publicsmusees@rouen.fr
1, rue Faucon ou 94, rue Jeanne d’Arc / 76 000 Rouen
Tél. : + 33 (0)2 35 07 31 74 / Fax. : + 33 (0)2 35 15 43 23
musees@rouen.fr
www.rouen-musees.com
Element from a table centrepiece
Orléans, workshop of Bernard Perrot,
late seventeenth century – early eighteenth century
Cover: Celestial Globe
Rouen, Le Coq de Villeray factory,
painter Pierre II Chapelle, 1725, faïence