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  2. Patrimoine
  3. Centre Val-de-Loire
  4. Cher
  5. 18250 Henrichemont

  6. Workshops and potter ovens of La Borne (also on Morogues commune)

Workshops and potter ovens of La Borne (also on Morogues commune) à Henrichemont dans le Cher

Cher

Workshops and potter ovens of La Borne (also on Morogues commune)

    708 La Borne d'en Bas
    18250 Henrichemont
Photo de Workshops and potter ovens of La Borne (also on Morogues commune)

Timeline

Moyen Âge central
Bas Moyen Âge
Renaissance
Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1200
1300
…
1600
1700
1800
1900
2000
XIIe siècle
Start of pottery
1260
First certified oven
XVIe siècle
Written traces of the activity
1910
Reversed flame oven
1914
14 furnaces in operation
1946
Cubic oven of Vassil Ivanoff
Années 1960-2000
Artistic renewal
Fin XIXe siècle
Population peak
18 novembre 1996
Registration in MH
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

Atelier dit de Joseph then de Jean Talbot, with the oven lying down, the building that houses it in its entirety, the yard in front of the head, the pitches of the parsons, the well and the burrow (cad. Henrichemont C 328 to 332 place called La Borne-d'en-Bas); dipped oven of the Talbot-Senea family, of Jean, Henri Talbot and Armand Bédu, also says the large oven, the building that houses it and the dressing room, in whole, as well as the courtyard in front of the teat tree (cad. Henrichemont C 323 place-de la Borne-d'en-Bas); The house, the building that houses them in its entirety, the facades and the roof of the house-workshop and the burrow (cad. Henrichemont C 408 la Borne-d'en-Bas) ; Vassil Ivanoff's workshop in its entirety, including the Cubic oven of the type Sèvres which it houses (cf. Henrichemont C 382, 383 place called La Borne-d'en-Bas); Eugène Bédu's world-wide oven, also known as the leatherworker and the building that houses it in its entirety (cf. Morogues B 823, place called La Borne): registration by order of 18 November 1996

Key figures

Famille Talbot - Potato Dynasty Owners of emblematic ovens (e.g. large oven).
Eugène Bédu - Technical innovator Creator of a curved cylindrical furnace (1910).
Vassil Ivanoff - Pioneer Ceramicist Installs a cubic oven type Sèvres in 1946.
Jean et Jacqueline Lerat - Artists of Renewal Pioneers of modern ceramics in La Borne ( 1940s).
Jean Linard - Influential ceramicist A major figure in contemporary creation (1931-2010).
Pierre Digan et Janet Stedman - Pottery entrepreneurs Founded a company forming new turners ( 1960s).

Origin and history

The hamlet of La Borne, shared between Henrichemont and Morogues in the Cher, has been a historic centre for the production of stoneware pottery since the twelfth century. Its growth in the 19th century is explained by its location in forest edge, offering wood for ovens and sandstone as raw material. Traditional production, focused on utility parts and popular imagery, has made the site famous, attracting potter families such as the Talbot, Bedu and Bernon. By the end of the 19th century, the hamlet had 700 inhabitants and 80 active potters.

The decline in activity began in the 1920s, faced with competition from aluminium and glass. In 1914, 14 furnaces were still operating; They were only four in 1950. However, as early as the 1940s, an artistic revival emerged with the arrival of ceramists such as Jean and Jacqueline Lerat, Vassil Ivanoff or Pierre Mestre. These artisans transform La Borne into a contemporary ceramic pole, attracting international artists and reviving traditional techniques, particularly through events such as collective cooking La Borne en feu (1990).

The heritage of La Borne includes five ovens listed as historical monuments in 1996, including the large oven of the Talbot-Senea family and the cubic oven of Vassil Ivanoff. Today, the site houses a museum dedicated to traditional pottery, a contemporary ceramic center, and an association of 55 ceramicists. These places perpetuate artisanal memory while promoting the current creation, making La Borne a major stage in the Jacques Coeur tourist itinerary and a symbol of Berry's living heritage.

The pottery activity at La Borne is part of a long history, marked by technical innovations: from the horizontal ovens of the 19th century to the overturned flame furnaces (such as that of Eugène Bédu, 1910) or the cubic ovens of the Sèvres type (e.g.: Vassil Ivanoff oven, 1946). These developments reflect the adaptation of potters to industrial and then artistic needs. The site also illustrates the transition between a utilitarian rural handicraft and an art ceramic, carried by figures such as Yves Mohy or Jean Linard, who anchored La Borne in the modern artistic landscape.

The collective and festive dimension of ceramics in La Borne is manifested through events such as the symposiums of the 1970s or La Borne sfflamme (2007), where wood cooking becomes moments of sharing. These initiatives, coupled with the installation of former students from the École des Beaux-Arts de Bourges, have strengthened the international reputation of the site. Today, La Borne remains a place of transmission, where memory of ancestral know-how and contemporary experimentation intersect.

External links

Page Wikipedia
Page Monumentum