How Gien Faience Is Made in the Loire Valley

Turn over a Gien plate and you'll find a mark from a small town on the Loire River where faience has been made since 1821. Every step – from the clay to the last firing – still happens there, in Gien, France. Here is how a piece of Gien comes to life, and why each one carries so much handwork.

A Short History

Gien's story starts with an Englishman, Thomas Hall, who in 1819 bought the Paris manufactory of Pont aux Choux – known for its rice-grain relief – and two years later opened his own works at Gien. That early relief design is still made today as Pont aux Choux White.

Gien Oval Platter Large – Pont aux Choux White

The rice-grain relief that Gien's founder brought from Paris in 1819, still made in plain white faience.

Paris Tableware & Gifts, a store in Ridgewood, New Jersey, carries Gien and ships across the continental US, with free shipping on orders over $150.

From Clay to Table, Step by Step

1. The clay. Gien mixes its own body from sand, clay and kaolin, following a recipe the company says it has kept for 200 years. Glazes and colors are made in-house as well.
2. The molds. Every shape starts in Gien's own modeling workshop, where the molds are made.
3. Shaping. Pieces are slip-cast or pressed in the molds; handles and lid knobs are then attached by hand, and each piece is sponged and brushed smooth.
4. First firing. The raw pieces are fired at about 2,090°F to become bisque.
5. Glazing. The bisque is glazed by hand, dipped or sprayed, and fired again at about 1,910°F.
6. Decoration. Some designs are applied by hand as a transfer; others start from outlines printed from 18th-century engraved copper plates and are then painted by hand – work Gien says takes at least three years to learn.
7. Final firing. A third firing fixes the colors for good. Each firing runs 24 to 30 hours in tunnel kilns, and pieces are sorted for quality after every batch.

By Gien's count, some thirty craftspeople work on a single piece, which passes through three firings before it reaches your table.

The Painter's Hand

That handwork shows most clearly in Gien's painted patterns. Our guide to Sologne shows a modern artist's take on a woodland theme.

Gien Dinner Plate Duck – Rambouillet

Rambouillet was painted by Jean Bertholle in 1952; Gien describes each piece as hand-painted.

Gien Set of 4 Dinner Plates – Oiseaux de Paradis

A historic Gien pattern handed down through generations, with a delicate hand-painted blue band on the scalloped rim.

Gien Set of 4 Rim Soups – Filet Blue

Filet is Gien's plain scalloped shape finished with a single hand-painted band of color – here in blue, among many other colors.

Old Patterns, New Collaborations

Gien still works with artists and great French houses. Millefleurs is by the artist Isabelle de Borchgrave; Les Vases à Oranger was created with the Palace of Versailles; and Le Jardin du Palais brings together Gien and the Paris fabric house Pierre Frey.

Gien Set of 4 Dinner Plates – Millefleurs

Pansies, roses and camellias fill the plate inside a vintage blue edge. See all of Millefleurs.

Gien Set of 4 Dinner Plates – Les Vases à Oranger

Inspired by the gardens André Le Nôtre laid out at Versailles, with a border drawn from the garden's trelliswork. See Les Vases à Oranger.

Gien Set of 4 Dinner Plates – Le Jardin du Palais

An eclectic garden of bright color, designed with Pierre Frey. See Le Jardin du Palais.

Caring for Gien Faience

Faience is fine earthenware, lighter and warmer in feel than porcelain. Avoid sudden changes in temperature – don't move a piece from the refrigerator straight into a hot oven – and handle rims gently, as earthenware can chip. Hand-washing keeps hand-painted decoration looking its best for years.

Explore every pattern at Gien, or start with Gien tableware and Gien decorative pieces.

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