Lunéville

In 1728 Jacques Chambrette established the first earthenware factory in Lorraine in Lunéville besides the river Meuse, not far from Vezouse. As a result of its economic and artistic success, the factory was awarded the status of Manufacture Royale de Fayence by the Ducs of Larraine in 1749.

The Lunéville manufacture was one of the main rivals of the expanding English and German ceramics centres and Chambrette managed to successfully export his wares to Italy, Germany, Poland, Switzerland and even The Netherlands.

From 1812, and during the following century, Lunéville was the seat of "Keller and Guérin" (Société KG), father and son-in-law.

Between 1700 and 1800 several faience manufacturers installed their companies in a tight network in Lorraine. The factories produced utensils and decorative objects. Since silver dinner services were prohibited by the king (who used the revenue of such objects to finance his wars), it was a favourable period for the faience manufacturers.

The artisans were inspired by their surroundings; faience was decorated with flowers, insects, real and fictitious animals and exotic figures. They produced faience dogs, which were placed in the halls of houses (hence the French expression "to stare at each other like faience dogs").
Later on Chinese decorations, introduced by Jesuits who brought back examples from their often dangerous missions, were applied.

Jacques Chambrette, who suffered from the high taxes that were imposed on him in the ducal region that was controlled on behalf of the King of France, coveted the episcopal area, which was connected to France, but where the influences of Louis XIV were much less smothering.

K et G Lunéville dish.

In 1758, Jacques Chambrette started a second faience factory in Saint-Clément, which lies in the diocese of the bishop of Metz. In the 19th century the originally German family Keller, soon allied with Guérin, gave new life to the faience factory by industrialising it. This was an era in which Lunéville and its surroundings provided very skilful workers.

The area around the faience factory, under patronage of Sainte Anne, developed.
In 1922 Édouard Fenal, originally from Pexonne and Badonviller, bought the factories of Lunéville and Saint-Clément, so employment was guaranteed in Lunéville and Saint-Clément. The new group further developed in 1979 by buying out the Sarreguemines ceramics complex. Édouard's son, Gilbert, is later on in charge of the group which also comprises Salins, Vitry-le-François and Digoin.
The Lunéville production stops in 1981. Only the factory of Saint-Clément is still operational in 1999.

The Second World War marked a recession.
In the renovated buildings nowadays small and medium sized companies are installed .