Why the back of the piece matters

Turn over almost any piece of antique Limoges and you will find at least one mark, often two or three. Together they can tell you who made the porcelain, who decorated it and an approximate period.

Marks are a guide, not a certificate. Makers did not always retire old stamps on schedule, so read the mark alongside the shape, decoration and gilding, and treat any date as approximate.

Two kinds of mark: factory and decorator

The most useful thing to understand about Limoges marks is that the porcelain and its decoration were often the work of different hands.

Factory (whiteware) marks

A Limoges factory first produced the undecorated, glazed porcelain known as whiteware, or “blanks.” The factory mark was usually applied before the glaze firing, so it sits under the glaze. You cannot feel it with a fingertip, and it does not wear away with use.

On many antique pieces this underglaze mark is printed in green. Haviland & Co.’s factory marks from the late 1870s onward, Tressemann & Vogt’s blank mark and many others follow this pattern, though it was a widespread habit rather than a rule.

Decorator marks

Decoration was applied on top of the glaze and fired again at a lower temperature. A decorator’s mark added at this stage sits on the glaze surface. It is often red, blue, brown, gold or another color, and it can be worn, faded or partly rubbed away.

The decorator might be the factory itself, a separate Limoges studio, an importer, or an amateur painter thousands of miles away. A green underglaze mark paired with a red overglaze mark in another name is perfectly normal.

“France” and “Made in France”

Country names can help with dating, but they need care.

Under the US McKinley Tariff of 1891, imported ceramics had to be marked with their country of origin, which is why so many pieces made for America carry “France” or “Limoges France” from the 1890s on. A piece with no country name may be earlier than 1891, but only may. Some makers used “France” before then, and pieces made for the French market did not need it.

The fuller wording “Made in France” generally points later. Kovels describes “Made in” phrasing as usually used in the United States after about 1915. Treat it as a hint toward the twentieth century rather than a firm cutoff.

“Limoges” alone versus a factory name

“Limoges” is a place, not a maker. Dozens of factories and decorating studios worked in and around the city, and the word on a piece tells you where it was made, or claims to.

A mark that names or abbreviates a firm, such as “H&Co.,” “T&V” or “GDA,” gives you far more to go on. A plain “Limoges” or “Limoges France” mark can be perfectly genuine but is harder to attribute, and it is also the wording most often borrowed by modern imitators.

Today, “Porcelaine de Limoges” is a registered French geographical indication. It covers porcelain made and decorated entirely within the Haute-Vienne department.

The major factories and their marks

The descriptions below are general. Most of these firms used several marks over their lifetimes, and specialist references illustrate each variant.

Haviland & Co.

The American importer David Haviland began the business in France in 1842, and it grew into the most famous name in Limoges, making porcelain chiefly for the American table. The usual factory mark from the late 1870s is “H&Co.” printed in green under the glaze, in several forms over the years. Decorating marks, applied over the glaze in various colors, often read “Haviland & Co. Limoges” and sometimes include a retailer’s name or a date. Our page on Haviland Limoges goes into more detail.

Theodore Haviland

David’s son Theodore set up his own firm in Limoges in the early 1890s, after the family partnership divided. His marks typically spell out “Theodore Haviland” with “Limoges” and “France,” and the firm’s marks continued, in changing forms, well into the twentieth century.

Charles Field Haviland and GDA

Charles Field Haviland, a relative of David Haviland, ran a separate Limoges business. His underglaze marks use the initials “CFH.” After the business passed to Gérard, Dufraisseix and Morel, marks combine “CFH” with “GDM.” From about 1900, when the firm became Gérard, Dufraisseix and Abbot, the green underglaze factory mark reads “GDA.” Decorating marks from this line may carry the name “Ch. Field Haviland,” though factory-decorated pieces do not always have a decorating mark at all.

Bernardaud and Délinières (D&Co.)

R. Délinières & Cie was an established Limoges maker whose marks include “D&Co.” Léonard Bernardaud became a partner in the 1890s, and around 1900 the firm became L. Bernardaud & Cie. Earlier pieces may carry “B&Co.” marks, and later ones the Bernardaud name in full. The company is still in business.

Raynaud and Tressemann & Vogt (T&V)

Tressemann & Vogt grew out of the Vogt family’s Limoges export business and made fine whiteware for the American market from the early 1890s. Its “T&V” mark, often in green, is common on blanks. After Emilien Tressemann retired in 1907, the firm continued under Gustave Vogt. Martial Raynaud, who had opened a decorating workshop in 1911, acquired the factory in 1919. That became Raynaud porcelain, which still operates. The T&V mark continued for a time alongside Raynaud’s own.

William Guérin, Jean Pouyat (JPL) and Bawo & Dotter / Elite

The Pouyat family were long established in Limoges porcelain. Their marks include “J.P.” over “L,” frequently in green under the glaze, a mark common on blanks. William Guérin’s firm, whose marks name “Wm. Guérin & Co.,” later absorbed the Pouyat business.

Bawo & Dotter was a New York importer that ran a Limoges decorating studio called the Elite Works. Marks read “Elite” and sometimes include “B&D.” The Connecticut Historical Society’s records say it was making its own porcelain by 1896 and later bought the Guérin firm, forming Guérin-Pouyat-Élite, which closed in 1932.

A. Lanternier & Cie

A family firm active from the mid-nineteenth century, renamed A. Lanternier & Cie around 1890. Its marks spell out “A. Lanternier, Limoges” and include a well-known anchor device with the initials “AL.” The firm later merged with GDA.

Coiffe

A Limoges manufacturer of quality tableware from the 1870s. Coiffe whiteware was widely decorated by others, so the name often appears on pieces that carry a separate decorator’s mark. Marks include “Limoges” with a star and versions reading “Coiffe.”

Martial Redon (M.R.)

Martial Redon had earlier been in partnership as Gibus & Redon, whose marks read “G&R.” His own marks use the initials “M.R.” with “Limoges” and, in later forms, “France.” The business passed to his son around 1896 and later became La Porcelaine Limousine.

American china painters and studio decorators

Around the turn of the twentieth century, china painting was both a popular pastime and a profession in the United States. Much Limoges whiteware crossed the Atlantic undecorated, to be painted by amateurs, teachers and commercial studios. Pickard, founded in the 1890s and based in Chicago from 1897, is one of the best-known studios that decorated imported European blanks.

Signs of American decoration include:

• A green underglaze Limoges factory mark with no French decorator’s mark.
• A painted signature or initials on the front, often near the edge of the design, and sometimes a date or name on the back.
• A studio or retailer’s mark, such as Pickard or Pitkin & Brooks of Chicago.

Quality ranges from tentative to masterly, and the decoration is judged on its own merits.

Decals versus hand painting

Not all antique Limoges is hand painted. Transfer-printed decoration, often called decals, was widely used, sometimes with hand-applied gilding or color.

Under a magnifier, hand painting shows brushstrokes and shading built up in layers. Printed decoration often shows a regular dot pattern, identical repeated motifs and a flat, even finish. French wording helps too: “peint main” means hand painted. “Rehaussé main” means hand enhanced, which usually describes printed decoration with hand-applied touches.

Modern and fake “Limoges” marks

Because the name sells, “Limoges” has been widely borrowed. Counterfeits have been reported for decades. Be cautious with:

• Marks that say “Limoges” with no factory name and no “France,” especially on goods with a bright, new-looking finish.
• Overglaze marks on undecorated ware. A genuine factory mark sits under the glaze.
• Printed decoration combined with a mark claiming hand painting.

Genuine modern Limoges from established houses is legitimate. It is simply not antique. If you are unsure, our Identify Your Limoges page explains how to send us photos for an informal opinion.

Quick reference

Factory	Approx. dates	What the mark looks like
Haviland & Co.	Firm from 1842; “H&Co.” marks from c. 1876 to c. 1931	Green underglaze “H&Co.”; overglaze decorating marks naming Haviland & Co., various colors
Theodore Haviland	Early 1890s onward	“Theodore Haviland” with Limoges and France, several versions
Charles Field Haviland	c. 1860s to 1880s	“CFH” underglaze; later “CFH/GDM”
GDA	c. 1900 onward	Green underglaze “GDA”; decorating marks may read “Ch. Field Haviland”
Délinières (D&Co.)	c. 1860s to 1900	“D&Co.” with Limoges
Bernardaud	c. 1900 to present	“B&Co.,” later the Bernardaud name
Tressemann & Vogt (T&V)	Early 1890s to 1907; mark used into Raynaud era	“T&V,” often green on blanks
Raynaud	1919 to present	Raynaud name with Limoges
William Guérin	Late 19th century to c. 1932	“Wm. Guérin & Co.” with Limoges
Jean Pouyat (JPL)	19th century to c. 1932	“J.P.” over “L,” often green underglaze
Bawo & Dotter / Elite	c. 1870s to c. 1932	“Elite,” sometimes with “B&D”
A. Lanternier	Mid-19th century to later 20th century	“A. Lanternier,” anchor with “AL”
Coiffe	c. 1870s to early 20th century	Star with “Limoges,” or “Coiffe”
Martial Redon (M.R.)	c. 1880s to 1896	“M.R.” with Limoges, later France

All dates are approximate and drawn from published mark references. Individual marks within each firm have narrower date ranges.

Frequently asked questions