Musée de la Faïence (Pottery)

ATTENTION :  All of the following information has been provided by the museum. For the moment, they are unable to publish their events calendar online. We therefore suggest that you contact the museum directly for further information.

Ceramic collections from Auvillar between the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries
Ceramics was the main source of wealth in Auvillar from 1739. The Auvillar faience (sturdy without being fine, heat resistant) aspired during the eighteenth century to rival the ceramics from Rouen and Mousiters. During that century, the painter Mathieu Rigal left Ardus to work in Auvillar where he produced beautiful work. The Auvillar Museum has some exceptional pieces by this painter.

At the end of the eighteenth century and during all of the nineteenth century, a number of studios were set up in Auvillar, there were 7 in 1834.  This was the golden age of ceramics in Auvillar. The faience left from the port in Auvillar by boat and were sold in fairs along the waterway as far as Bordeaux. Around 1845, in the face of competition from Limoges and Bordeaux, the ceramicists from Auvillar adapted their output and produced only glazed earthenware. The last kiln stopped working 1909. Visitors can admire the collection of ceramics at the Auvillar museum that is run by the l’association des Amis du Vieil Auvillar (association of Friends of Old Auvillar)