Manufacture Nationale de Sèvres

The Manufacture Nationale de Sèvres is one of the most celebrated porcelain manufactories in the world, established in Vincennes in 1740 under the patronage of King Louis XV and the Marquise de Pompadour, then transferred to Sèvres in 1756. State-owned since 1759, the Manufacture has maintained its extraordinary mission across every successive French government. Today it employs around 120 ceramists mastering some thirty distinct specialist trades, from paste preparation and throwing to painting, gilding, and kiln management. All materials — including the renowned pastes, enamels, and coloring pigments — are produced on site using recipes and techniques refined over nearly three centuries. The Manufacture produces around 3,000 pieces per year, approximately half destined for the French state — furnishing the Élysée Palace, Hôtel Matignon, and major diplomatic functions — while the remainder are sold through the gallery in Sèvres and its Paris boutique at 4 Place André Malraux. An unbroken tradition of collaboration with leading artists — from 18th-century masters Boucher and Falconet to 20th and 21st-century figures including Louise Bourgeois, Ettore Sottsass, and Zao Wou-Ki — gives Sèvres porcelain its extraordinary cultural dimension, blending the finest artisanal skill with contemporary artistic vision. The Paris gallery is open Monday to Saturday from 14h to 19h, and the Sèvres showroom is accessible by appointment for clients. Sèvres holds the Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant label and has been a member of the Comité Colbert since 1986.