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Most Limoges boxes name more than one company on the bottom. A typical base tells you where the porcelain was made ("Limoges France"), how it was decorated ("Peint Main" or "Rehaussé Main"), and often the brand that designed, decorated or imported it, such as Rochard, Artoria or Chamart. This directory lists the names collectors meet most often, what each is known for, and how its mark usually reads, so you can put a name to the box in your hand.
If you want a step-by-step authenticity check instead, our Limoges box marks checklist covers that. This page is the "who's who."
Think of the base as a small label that several people may have signed. On one box you can find up to four kinds of information, and each comes from a different hand:
So a box that reads "Rochard, Limoges France, Peint Main" with two painted initials is telling you four things at once: the brand, the place, the method and the painter. The words "Limoges France" tell you where, not when. The antiques guide Kovels makes the same point: the word Limoges in a mark is about location, not age. For a refresher on how a blank becomes a finished box, see how Limoges boxes are made.
Names are listed alphabetically. Dates are given only where independent references agree; where they differ, we give a broad period or leave the date out. Mark styles changed over the years, so treat each "mark to look for" as the usual pattern, not the only one.
Mark to look for: the name Artoria with "Peint Main" and "Limoges France," either stamped or written by hand.
Artoria is a family-owned porcelain house in Limoges and one of the box names collectors see most. It is known for original designs and for exclusive and licensed series, including Disney pieces made under contract. On licensed boxes, expect a copyright line for the license holder alongside the Limoges wording.
Mark to look for: the Bernardaud name with Limoges, mostly on tableware and giftware rather than hinged boxes.
Bernardaud is a French family company that traces its roots in Limoges to 1863. Léonard Bernardaud's firm took on the family name around 1900, and the company is still run by the Bernardaud family today. Collectors usually meet the name on dinner plates and gift pieces, so it is useful context when you are sorting a mixed lot of Limoges porcelain.
Mark to look for: "Chamart" with "Limoges France" and "Peint Main."
The name is a contraction of its founder's name, Charles Martine, whose company dates to the early 1950s. Chamart began as an importer of French porcelain and other decorative goods and became known in America for hinged Limoges boxes from the mid-1960s. Vintage Chamart boxes from the 1970s and 1980s turn up often at estate sales.
Mark to look for: the name Dubarry on the base, with the usual Limoges wording.
Dubarry boxes date from the middle of the twentieth century onward. References describe the line as including both fully hand-painted boxes and boxes with transfer (decal) designs, so read the decoration words closely. If the base says "Rehaussé Main" rather than "Peint Main," the main picture is a transfer with hand-added touches.
Mark to look for: "Eximious" together with "Limoges France" and "Peint Main."
Eximious is a London-based design brand whose Limoges boxes date from about 1990. It commissioned hand-painted boxes in Limoges and sold them under its own name. One caution: dealers have listed Eximious-branded pieces that were made in England, so the brand name alone does not make a box Limoges. Look for "Limoges France" on the base.
Mark to look for: the initials "FA" (sometimes "F.A.") with "Limoges France" and "Peint Main" or "Rehaussé Main."
French Accents was an importer and decorator of Limoges boxes active from the early 1980s. Many collectors know the brand only by those two letters. Both fully hand-painted and hand-enhanced French Accents boxes are common on the vintage market.
Mark to look for: the Haviland name printed on the underside of plates, cups and serving pieces.
Haviland is the historic name behind much of the "Limoges china" in American homes. David Haviland, a New York china merchant, settled in Limoges in 1842 to produce porcelain for the American market, and his son Théodore later started his own firm. Haviland is mainly a dinnerware name, and collectors use its many backstamp variations to date pieces.
Mark to look for: the La Gloriette name with "Limoges France."
La Gloriette is an importer and distributor of Limoges porcelain, including hinged boxes, pill boxes and miniatures. Its name appears on boxes made in the late twentieth century. As with other import houses, look for "Limoges France" alongside the name.
Mark to look for: wording such as "Castel Limoges France" or "Porcelaine Limoges Castel."
Castel is easy to spot even before you turn it over. This mid-twentieth-century decorator is known for deep cobalt blue grounds with gold trim and romantic, Fragonard-style scenes of courting couples. You will find the look on boxes, plates and dishes.
Mark to look for: the letters "PV" with "Limoges France," often with "Marque Déposée" and "Peint Main."
Parry Vieille was a decorating workshop whose boxes were hand-painted, and its pieces date from roughly the 1970s through the 1990s. The firm's name joins two surnames, Parry and Vieille. Its fruit, food and furniture shapes turn up often on the vintage market.
Mark to look for: the Raynaud name with Limoges, mostly on tableware.
Martial Raynaud opened a decorating workshop in Limoges in 1911 and took over a porcelain factory in 1919. The family firm is known for fine tableware rather than hinged boxes. Like Bernardaud and Haviland, it is worth knowing so you can tell a dinnerware mark from a box studio mark.
Mark to look for: "Rochard" with "Limoges France" and "Peint Main," printed as a stamp on some boxes and hand-lettered on others.
Rochard is an American design and import house for hand-painted Limoges boxes, and its name has been familiar to collectors since the 1970s. Rochard creates its own designs, and the boxes are hand-painted in Limoges. You can browse our large selection of Rochard Limoges boxes.
| Name | Known for | Typical mark wording |
|---|---|---|
| Artoria | Family house in Limoges; original and licensed box designs | Artoria, Peint Main, Limoges France |
| Bernardaud | Family porcelain house, roots in 1863; tableware | Bernardaud, Limoges |
| Chamart | Importer founded by Charles Martine; boxes from the 1960s | Chamart, Limoges France, Peint Main |
| Dubarry | Hand-painted and decal boxes, mid-1900s on | Dubarry |
| Eximious | London design brand, from about 1990 | Eximious, Limoges France, Peint Main |
| French Accents | Importer and decorator from the early 1980s | FA or F.A., Limoges France |
| Haviland | Historic dinnerware for the American market, from 1842 | Haviland (many backstamp styles) |
| La Gloriette | Importer of boxes, pill boxes and miniatures | La Gloriette, Limoges France |
| Limoges Castel | Cobalt blue and gold with romantic scenes | Castel Limoges France |
| Parry Vieille | Hand-painted boxes, about 1970s to 1990s | PV, Limoges France, Marque Déposée, Peint Main |
| Raynaud | Family tableware maker, factory from 1919 | Raynaud, Limoges |
| Rochard | American design and import house, since the 1970s | Rochard, Limoges France, Peint Main |
Some of the most common words on a base describe the box, not the company. Knowing these keeps you from hunting for a "maker" that doesn't exist.
Our Limoges box glossary explains these and other French terms in more detail.
A familiar-sounding name is not proof. A few patterns trip up buyers again and again:
If you're weighing what a marked box might be worth, our guide Are Limoges boxes worth anything? walks through condition, rarity and demand.
Look for a name or initials besides "Limoges France" and "Peint Main." That name is usually the brand, decorator or importer. If you only see the origin and decoration words, the maker may simply not have marked it, which is common.
"FA" or "F.A." is the mark of French Accents, an importer and decorator of Limoges boxes from the early 1980s. You'll find it on both hand-painted and Rehaussé Main pieces.
Rochard is an American design and import house. Its boxes are made and hand-painted in Limoges, France, and carry "Limoges France" and "Peint Main" with the Rochard name.
A respected name helps, but condition, painting quality and how hard a design is to find matter more. A chipped box from a well-known maker is worth less than a perfect one from a small studio.
Because collectors often find them in the same cabinet. They are great Limoges porcelain houses known mostly for tableware, and knowing their marks helps you separate dinnerware from hinged boxes when sorting a family collection.
Still have a question? Our Limoges box FAQ covers buying, prices and care, or you can email support@limogesbox.com or call (855) 606-5288.
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