Since the days when the beautiful ladies of the European nobility flaunted their trinket snuffboxes in the 19th century, French porcelain has been synonymous with exquisitely crafted and painted Limoges boxes.

The Sevres factory was the first to witness the flourishing of this beautiful piece of white clay called kaolin, molded and designed by skilled craftsmen. France area.

However, like any other work of art, the Limoges boxes have also become the target of fraud with the result that the market is flooded with fake boxes obtained at unbelievably low prices. To understand the value and authenticity of Limoges boxes, you need to know the markings that come on traditional Limoges boxes.

Factory or Maker: The maker’s mark indicates the factory where white kaolin is made into white or blank tableware through smelting and firing processes. The impression is made on the porcelain before the previous processes. It can be seen under the enamel which usually bears the words “Limoges France” or numbers, colors or scripts as preferred by the maker. You can also find specific symbols like butterfly, bird or star.

Decorator’s Mark: The decorator’s mark is visible on the glaze and may be handwritten, stamped, or printed. Decorating companies often opt for printed or embossed markings, while individual artisans prefer to write by hand. In case the maker and decorator are the same, the maker usually adds a second type of brand for the boxes it makes and also decorates and a different brand for the pieces, which it only makes and sells as undecorated white tableware.

The decorator’s mark reflects the way the artisan designed or decorated the Limoges porcelain. Therefore, the words Painted Main denote that the decoration was done entirely by hand and Rehausse Main means that the highlight stripes were done by hand along with a combination of decals. In the other, Decor Main shows that some of the decoration had been created by hand. The artist’s seal may be inscribed in the form of initials or a signature.

Importer’s mark: Limoges porcelain can be associated with thousands of companies that manufacture these enticing works of art. However, there are very few companies that have risen as top-tier manufacturers and importers, giving items their brand name. Some of the famous importers are Artoria Limoges, Rose Décor, Chamart Exclusives Inc, Rochard Limoges boxes, Sinclair, La Gloriette, Chanille and the like. The peculiar designs of the porcelain also point to specific manufacturers. For example, the fruit designs on Rochard’s boxes occupy larger dimensions than others.

Mold markings: The boxes are cast in three-dimensional molds, which are immaculately created from kaolin clay. A single mold is made to create boxes with unique designs. However, the number of boxes in each mold cannot exceed 100 since by then the detail of the mold is eradicated. The mold number is also indicated on each box of trinkets.

The limited edition Limoges boxes have a special trademark, as well as the signature of the particular artist.