Creil-Montereau faience
| Company type | Manufacturing |
|---|---|
| Industry | Ceramics, faience |
| Founded | 1797 (Creil factory), 1720–1740 (Montereau factory) |
| Founder | Jean Rognon (Montereau), Robert Bray O'Reilly (Creil) |
| Fate | Montereau plant closed in 1955; merged Creil and Montereau operations |
| Headquarters | Creil and Montereau-sur-le-Jard , France |
Area served | France |
Key people | Jacques Bagnall, Charles Gaspard Alexandre Saint-Cricq Casaux, Louis-Martin Lebeuf, Jean Baptiste Gratien Milliet, George Vernon Sr. and Jr., Henry Félix Anatole Barluet |
| Products | Faïence fine, lead-glazed earthenware, soft-paste porcelain |
Creil-Montereau faience refers to a type of faïence fine, a lead-glazed earthenware characterized by a white clay body, produced in the French towns of Creil and Montereau. These two manufactories came under unified ownership in 1819 and sought to replicate the creamware perfected by Josiah Wedgwood during the 1770s. Guided by English potter entrepreneurs in both artistic vision and technical expertise, Creil-Montereau pioneered the use of industrial-scale transfer printing on ceramics in France, reaching a high level of sophistication throughout the 19th century.
Montereau pottery
The faience factory in Montereau-sur-le-Jard was founded by Jean Rognon between approximately 1720 and 1740. The production of faïence fine, which required an exceptionally white base beneath a glossy lead glaze, commenced in 1749 near the Saint-Nicolas district of the village. Between 1755 and 1762, Etienne-François Mazois (1719–1762) managed the kilns with the goal of competing against Josiah Wedgwood’s successful Queen's ware, which was gradually replacing traditional French tin-glazed earthenware. Mazois also directed the royal manufactory at Nevers in 1760, while his family operated a faience retail shop in Paris.
After a temporary halt, production of faïence fine resumed in 1774 under the English partnership Clark, Shaw et Cie, later succeeded by Hall and Merlin-Hall. From 1796 to 1805, English businessman Christopher Potter introduced copperplate engraving transfer printing onto earthenware and porcelain at Montereau. This development transitioned production from artisanal methods to an early industrial scale. To avoid direct rivalry with Merlin-Hall at Montereau, Potter established nearby operations at Cannes-Ecluse between 1805 and 1815. In 1819, the owner of Creil acquired the Montereau factory at considerable expense. The two potteries formally merged as Faïenceries de Creil et Montereau from 1840 until 1895 and later formed an association with the Choisy-le-Roi faience manufactory in 1920. The Montereau plant ceased operations in 1955; its buildings were subsequently demolished and its archives lost.
Creil faience fine and porcelain
A ceramic factory was initially established at Creil on 26 May 1797 by Robert Bray O'Reilly, a glass merchant from Paris; however, it closed within one year. A more sustainable pottery operation began in 1801. By the time it merged with Montereau in 1840, it employed approximately 900 workers. Throughout the nineteenth century, British-born directors played a major role in shaping the manufactory’s progress.
Jacques Bagnall, born in 1762 in Burslem within Staffordshire Potteries, worked as a modeller specializing in "English stoneware" at Douai from 1784. He subsequently directed Chantilly’s porcelain manufactory before taking charge of Creil’s pottery starting in 1802. As design director, Bagnall created distinguished pieces often inspired by neoclassical aesthetics akin to those of Wedgwood and other English producers. Among his notable works is a black stoneware dinner service reminiscent of Wedgwood’s black jasperware, now exhibited at the Creil museum.
Following Bagnall’s death in 1825, Charles Gaspard Alexandre Saint-Cricq Casaux assumed leadership of Creil’s pottery from 1811 onward; he purchased Montereau in 1819 and consolidated the two operations into Creil-Montereau by 1840. In 1841, Louis-Martin Lebeuf (1792–1854) together with Jean Baptiste Gratien Milliet (1797–1875) acquired the merged factories. Englishmen George Vernon Sr. and Jr., serving as director and assistant respectively until 1849, introduced soft-paste porcelain manufacturing.
Henry Félix Anatole Barluet (born 1802), connected to the Lebeuf family, succeeded them and directed substantial growth. As one of Creil’s principal employers, the company developed the Saint-Médard workers’ housing district starting in 1866; Barluet also held office as mayor until his passing. Under his administration, Creil-Montereau’s transfer-printed patterns underwent significant refinement.