It all began in New York in 1838. David Haviland founded an import company specializing in earthenware and porcelain. A simple accident changed his destiny: a customer came to replace a chipped saucer. David then discovered Limoges porcelain and was immediately captivated by its exceptional whiteness and refinement.
In 1842, he crossed the Atlantic to settle in Limoges and established his own manufacture there. A first: never before had an American chosen to set up a factory in Europe. Located close to the kaolin deposits of Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche, David introduced a groundbreaking vision: mastering the entire production process, from paste to decoration, in order to ensure flawless quality.
A visionary, he invented enluminage, a hand-painting technique that revolutionized porcelain decoration, and imported the first kilns capable of firing up to 2,000 plates simultaneously. International recognition quickly followed: a gold medal at the Crystal Palace Exhibition in New York in 1853, and a silver medal at the Paris Universal Exhibition in 1855.
In 1872, Haviland reached a decisive milestone by establishing an artists’ studio on rue Michel-Ange in Auteuil, entrusted to Félix Bracquemond, an engraver close to the Impressionists. The workshop quickly became a laboratory of avant-garde creativity, influenced by Japonism, Impressionism, and Symbolism.
The leading creators of the time gathered there: Édouard Dammouse, Albert Dammouse, Ernest Chaplet, Jules Desbois, and Paul Gauguin. Together, they created more than 400 revolutionary designs.
Asymmetrical compositions, Impressionist slip decorations, the brush application of colored liquid clay, chromolithography on porcelain, mechanical calibration, and new kiln technologies: in Auteuil, Haviland brought together artistic boldness and technical innovation, leaving a lasting mark on French decorative arts.
At the dawn of the 20th century, while porcelain manufactories still entrusted their decorations to anonymous craftsmen, Haviland made a radically modern choice: inviting the greatest artists of its time to design for the table.
As early as 1900, the sculptor Antoine Bourdelle, a student of Auguste Rodin, began reinterpreting “white gold,” opening the way to an unprecedented dialogue between sculpture and porcelain. He was followed by Édouard-Marcel Sandoz, a master animal sculptor, who brought a new sculptural nobility to Limoges porcelain: his living forms and animals captured in motion turned each piece into a work of art in its own right.
This dialogue reached its peak with Art Deco. The Maison brought together a constellation of artists who reinvented porcelain through geometric lines, gold accents, and stylized compositions. Suzanne Lalique, daughter of René Lalique, created forms and decorations of rare graphic elegance. Jean Luce, one of the undisputed masters of tableware in the 1920s and 1930s, developed a refined vocabulary marked by gold lines and geometric motifs. Jean Mayodon, a renowned ceramist and artistic director of the Manufacture nationale de Sèvres, lent his talent to pieces inspired by a reimagined Antiquity.
These collaborations established a tradition of dialogue with living creativity that has never ceased since.
Some stories are measured in generations. For more than a century, Haviland has adorned the table of the The Ritz Paris, the iconic palace on Place Vendôme, and has created porcelain collections for it that have become legendary, such as Marthe Ritz Paris.
The same enduring partnership exists with the Orient Express, whose carriages the Maison has equipped since the golden age of rail travel. Today, Haviland continues to support the revival of the world’s most famous train, alongside the studio of Maxime d’Angeac and the table of chef Yannick Alléno.
Two names, two worlds, one shared standard: an enduring French art de vivre that has never faded.
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