Charming Vintage Footed Plate - "Cerise" - Badonviller - 1910s

Badonviller’s ceramic legacy began in 1828 when Nicolas Fenal acquired a pottery in nearby Pexonne—not far from the dense Lorraine forests that would fuel kilns for decades. In 1898, Théophile Fenal established a modern factory in Badonviller, introducing pioneering social initiatives like profit-sharing, mutual-aid funds, and vocational classes for workers. Under his son Édouard’s leadership, the enterprise grew into an industrial powerhouse, employing over 1,000 artisans by the 1920s and absorbing Lunéville and Saint‑Clément in 1921. Renowned artists such as the Mougin brothers and Géo Condé lent their talent, enriching the factory’s Art Nouveau and Art Deco wares . While production declined after the 1960s—with automation and competition from glassware—and the factory closed its doors in 1990, Badonviller’s colourful earthenware remains a charming reminder of Lorraine’s ceramic heritage, preserved today in local museums.