21/01/2025
Found these two intricately designed blue+white serving platters during a recent trip to Paris last November while browsing through my favorite brocante on the southern perimeter of the city.
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The vendor - Monsieur Fontaine - took the time to share a little bit of background on the fascinating story of Émile Bourgeois who introduced fine English ceramics to Parisian society and grew a successful business at his “Grand Dépôt” location in Paris. Born in Normandy in 1832, Émile first learned about the trade and flourishing market of fine tableware working in a china shop in 1848 at the age of 16. Deciding to move to London in 1856, he pursued a career in sales for prominent English pottery manufacturers - notably in Stoke-on-Trent, the center of ceramic innovation - where he was exposed to a world of design and production techniques that later influenced his own ambitions.
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Returning to France in 1860, he opened a little shop at 17 Rue Drouot in Paris in 1862 and about a year later established “Le Grand Dépôt” - the key destination to experience an exquisite curation of ceramics, porcelain and crystal glassware sourced throughout Europe - next door at 21 Rue Drouot.
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By 1879, he expanded to Marseille and even took over the adjacent building at 23 Rue Drouot where he continued to provide the finest tableware often produced to his personal specifications and partnering with renowned manufacturers such as Limoges to offer exclusive designs to a clientele seeking to elevate dinner parties with elegant and practical pieces.
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Although Émile retired in 1905, the shops continued to service buyers until closing after World War II. Today, patterns bearing “Le Grand Dépôt” marks are collected for their unique blend of creative artistry and commercial prowess.
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Both platters are now available .
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