Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Desvres Ceramic Museum came into being in 1963, when the city created a municipal collection on display at City Hall. This initiative is born thanks to the donations of the local industrial makers, who want to preserve a know-how rooted in the history of Desvres, nicknamed the "pothouse city". Ceramic production was attested to by the end of the 17th century, but it was in the mid 1760s that the art of earthenware was permanently implanted, carried by skilled labour.

In 1991, the City of Desvres inaugurated the Maison de la Faïence, a dedicated space that now houses the museum, as well as the Tourist and Cultural Offices. This place becomes a showcase of local know-how, with a permanent exhibition on the manufacture of earthenware and temporary exhibitions combining ceramic history and contemporary creation. Artists' residences are organised there until its closure in 2010, marking a transitional period.

Between 2011 and 2012, the museum was completely redesigned and reopened in October 2012 as the Ceramic Museum. The new route highlights three centuries of production from pottery to porcelain, sandstone and earthenware. Testimonials from former workers and laymen, as well as technical tools (moulds, drawings, seed tests), enrich the visit. The architecture, signed Bertrand Klein in 1990, was expanded in 2011-2012 to modernize space.

The museum is based on a unique documentary fonds, including industrial archives (commercial photos, poncifs, laboratory glassware) and iconic objects from local manufacturers. Among them, Fourmaintraux, Géo Martel and Masse marked the climax of Desvres as a major ceramic centre in the 19th and 20th centuries. Today, the museum perpetuates this heritage by combining technical memory and museum innovation, with digital tools such as touch tables and projections.

Labeled Museum of France, the establishment stands out for its historical and immersive approach. The ten rooms of the course invite you to discover the evolution of techniques and styles, while the scenographic atmospheres highlight 700 representative pieces. This place also bears witness to the current vitality of ceramics in Desvres, where artisanal know-how has continued for more than three centuries.

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