Guided tour of the temporary exhibition, the Wonders of the Porquier-Beau pottery
This year, we unveil to the public the watercolours of the Porquier-Beau manufacture. Around 1875, the factory joined forces with the painter Alfred Beau. This collaboration between the artist and the pottery lasts for more than fifteen years and it brings a new breath to the productions of the manufacture. In total, there are more than 650 watercolours related to the passions and artistic modes of the moment that are exhibited accompanied by earthenware with the same decoration.
These decorative plates, created in the last quarter of the 19th century and illustrating the production of the time, are grouped into a set of 10 albums. Each collection is dedicated to a theme. Thus, the different volumes independently bring together the decorations of Rouen, Moustiers, Nevers or Delft, the scenes and legends of Brittany or the pieces of the famous and essential service on yellow board that made the fame of earthenware. Deposited in the museum by their happy owner, these notebooks will finally reveal their secrets to the public.