Dining is declining, but . . . we still love our old Limoges

Our active lifestyles have no time for the leisurely art of dining and conversation. There was a time when the hours-long dinner party was a work of art for both host and guest. Even not too long ago, families and extended families came together at least once a week to bring out the good dishes and serve good food worthy of them.
Many antique dealers can testify that sales of complete sets of old china aren’t what they used to be. But old Limoges china, from 1870 to 1940 continues to be everyone’s favorite.
Handpainting is what make Limoges so wonderful. When you look at an entire table set or cabinet filled with Limoges china, you know that every flower and leaf on every single piece was painstakingly painted by an artist’s hand.
Limoges is the capital city of the Limousin district of France. An American, David Haviland, opened up the American market for Limoges china in the late 1840s, first by starting a decorating studio there and then opening a porcelain manufacturing plant in the 1860s.
In the 1870s his nephew, Charles Field Haviland, opened his own porcelain factory, and his nephew, Theodore Haviland, did the same at the end of the 19th Century. It is Theodore Haviland’s china that dominated the American market from 1904 to1925.
There are literally hundreds of patterns of Haviland dinnerware, and many of the patterns are very similar. Many folks like to mix and match different Haviland patterns, because they go so well together. That also makes it fun for antique shop browsers and yard-sale rummagers to pick up pieces to put together as a lively luncheon or buffet set
Other Limoges companies also produce magnificent hand painted porcelains for the American market. Some of my favorites (with their marks) include: Charles Ahrenfeldt (CA), Bawo & Dotter (Elite), Bernardaud (B&Co.), Gerard, Dufraisseix and Abbot (GDA, or GDM with Morel), Klingenberg (AK), Jean Pouyat (JP), Lanternier, M. Redon (MR), Tressemann & Vogt (T&V), and several others.
There may be as many as four marks on a piece of Limoges – the maker’s mark, the decorator’s mark, the importer’s mark and a retailer’s mark. Some patterns were made exclusively for a particular importer or retailer. A piece with a “W” in a wreath mark on the bottom, for instance, was made exclusively for Wanamaker’s.
Decorative Limoges porcelains – plaques, vases, ferneries, planters and boxes – continue to be as strong as ever. Special serving pieces like fish and game sets, oyster plates, cider sets, punch sets and tankards also continue to attract discriminating buyers.
Appraisals: Recent on-line sales show that people are getting entire sets of simple border patterns for about $1,000. Spray patterns with heavy gold, baroque (irregularly shaped) borders and fancy handles and finials can be three times that or more. You can still pick up stray items – chocolate cups, cream pitchers, powder jars, pin trays, ramekins, salt cellars, etc. — for $10 to $ 50. Old and hand painted, they make charming cabinet pieces.
Arthur Schwerdt,, a certified appraiser, is the author of “The Antique Story Book: Finding the Real Value of Old Things,” and co-owner of The August Farmhouse on Route 9 in Swainton. Send your comments or appraisal questions (with photo) to aschwerdt@cmcherald.com.