How to tell if a Limoges box is real?

Many Limoges boxes can have both the stamp of the manufacturing artist as well as hand-signed lettering or initials. The insignia on every authentic hand-painted Limoges box must include the phrase “Peint Main” or “Peint a la main” which means the Limoges box is painted by hand.

Is Limoges porcelain valuable?

When valuing Limoges porcelain, savvy dealers and collectors give high marks for top-notch decor featuring finely detailed and skillful hand painting. They are generally not as valuable as those that are hand decorated unless the painting is very poorly executed.

How do you identify French Limoges porcelain marks?

How to identify french limoges porcelain marks

  1. Look for a mark in red or green.
  2. Between 1900 and 1914 the company marked items in red and between 1920 and 1932 the company used green to mark the pieces it manufactured.

What are Limoges boxes used for?

Under Louis XIV these small boxes were used to hold a lock of lady’s hair or small poem.

What is Limoges elite?

Bawo & Dotter was a New York company established in 1860s to import porcelain mainly from Limoges. In 1870s they established in Limoges a porcelain decorating manufactory called The Elite Works. In 1896 the manufacture began producing own porcelain.

What is Peint main Limoges?

Limoges boxes are marked to indicate the level of hand painting. Peint Main or Decor Main means the box is completely hand painted. Boxes marked Rehausse Main have been decorated with a combination of transfer painting and hand painting.

What color is Limoges?

Limoges color is primarily a color from Blue color family. It is a mixture of cyan blue color.

Is Limoges always marked?

Almost all Limoges is marked. Each factory had its own production and decorating marks. There are online resources where you can learn about the different Limoges marks. A very few pieces have no mark.

What is Haviland Limoge china?

Haviland & Co. is a manufacturer of Limoges porcelain in France, begun in the 1840s by the American Haviland family, importers of porcelain to the US, which has always been the main market.

Is all Limoges marked?

Some of the markings on pieces of Limoges porcelain are standard marks used by many firms and studios. Some Limoges porcelains carry a designation from the French government for quality. For instance, Haviland & Company, Bernardaud, Tressemann & Vogt (marked T & V) were all successful companies working in Limoges.

What does Rehausse main mean?

Peint Main or Decor Main means the box is completely hand painted. Boxes marked Rehausse Main have been decorated with a combination of transfer painting and hand painting.