Emaux de Briare is a French company specializing today in mosaics. Whilst the manufactory in Briare

Briare

Briare is a commune in the Loiret department in north-central France.Briare, the Brivodorum of the Romans, is situated at the extremity of the Briare Canal, which unites the Loire and its lateral canal with the Loing and so with the Seine. The lateral canal of the Loire crosses the Loire near...

 originally started with earthenware pottery, the factory founded in Paris by Jean-Félix Bapterosses (1813-1885) initially began manufacturing porcelain buttons in 1845. They merged in 1851, at which date its international development started: 1851 in The Great Exhibition

The Great Exhibition

The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nations or The Great Exhibition, sometimes referred to as the Crystal Palace Exhibition in reference to the temporary structure in which it was held, was an international exhibition that took place in Hyde Park, London, from 1 May to 15 October...

, UK and as early as 1853 in the USA.

Early years

The company began as Bapterosses & Cie of Paris, France, which was established to manufacture and sell porcelain buttons made according to a method quite similar to the one patented by Richard Prosser in 1840, but following the invention of a device that could mold 500 buttons at a time vs. only one at the competing English factory , Mintons (which had acquired the rights to the original patent) thanks to a new formulation of the paste in which milk was added to the slip to improve plasticity .
Jean-Félix Bapterosses was hence named Officer of the French Legion of Honor in 1878 . His bust, sculpted by Henri Chapu

Henri Chapu

Henri-Michel-Antoine Chapu was a French sculptor in a modified Neoclassical tradition who was known for his use of allegory in his works.-Life and career:...

 and founded by Ferdinand Barbedienne

Ferdinand Barbedienne

Ferdinand Barbedienne was a French metalworker and manufacturer, who was well-known as a bronze founder, and who invented a machine to create miniature bronze replicas of statues....

 is now exhibited in the museum of enamel & mosaics in Briare.

Today

Today émaux de Briare sells its mosaics across the world for small and large projects alike, one of the latest ones being the walkways for the future Miami Marlins stadium, designed by Venezuelan artist Carlos Cruz-Diez

Carlos Cruz-Díez

Carlos Cruz-Diez is a Venezuelan kinetic and op artist. He lives in Paris. He has spent his professional career working and teaching between both Paris and Caracas. His work is represented in museums and public art sites internationally...

.

Buttons

Bapterosses & Cie was bent on efficiency and multiplied inventions to boost productivity . For instance in 1858 (US letters of patent N°19,120), they invented buttons with shanks . Mr Bapterosses was also a precocious marketing man in the sense that he immediately advertised his products under the FB brand and associated it with the numerous medals & awards he had received the world over.

Beads

With the growing colonial thrust a new market appeared notably in Africa for fancy beads . The models made included faceted beads, mother-of-pearl beads and chevron bead

Chevron bead

Chevron beads are special glass beads, the first specimens of this type were created by glass bead makers in Venice and Murano, Italy, towards the end of the 14th century. They may also be referred to as Rosetta, or star beads...

s .

Mosaics

With the Art nouveau

Art Nouveau

Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...

 movement, there was a revival of interest in mosaics. Soon afterwards, émaux de Briare came with a new concept of pre-cut mosaics that would make it much cheaper than with the traditional method to adorn buildings.

.

The American market

In 1853, the buttons were exhibited in the Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations

Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations

Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations was a World's Fair held in 1853 in New York City, in the wake of the highly successful 1851 Great Exhibition in London. It aimed to showcase the new industrial achievements of the world and also to demonstrate the nationalistic pride of a relatively young...

 in New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

. In 1876, beads appeared in the Centennial Exposition

Centennial Exposition

The Centennial International Exhibition of 1876, the first official World's Fair in the United States, was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 10 to November 10, 1876, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia. It was officially...

 in Philadelphia at which time the company was awarded a prize medal. Then in Chicago, in 1893, the mosaics appeared in the World's Columbian Exposition

World's Columbian Exposition

The World's Columbian Exposition was a World's Fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. Chicago bested New York City; Washington, D.C.; and St...

.

The main customers in the latter part of the XIXth century were:

• Howard, Sanger Co's dry goods store at 105-107 Chambers street, New York.
• Louis B. Binsse & Co's fancy goods store at 83 William St in New York.
• Dieckerhoff, Raffloer at 560 Broadway, New York.
• Ostheimer Bros. in Philadelphia, PA.

other markets

Emaux de Briare exhibited in numerous world exhibitions:
Paris in 1855, honor medal ; London in 1862 « prize medal » ; Porto

Porto

Porto , also known as Oporto in English, is the second largest city in Portugal and one of the major urban areas in the Iberian Peninsula. Its administrative limits include a population of 237,559 inhabitants distributed within 15 civil parishes...

 in 1865, "gloria victoribus" medal ; Paris in 1867, gold medal and in 1878 Grand Prize ; Vienna

Vienna

Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...

 in 1873, medal; Sydney

Sydney

Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...

 in 1879 ; Melbourne

Melbourne

Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...

 in 1880; Amsterdam

Amsterdam

Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...

 in 1883, medal; Antwerp in 1885, gold medal ; Paris in 1889 « Grand Prize ».

External links

• émaux de briare