The Rousseau service of Creil Montereau

This iconic 19th-century service was produced from 1866 until the 1930s, heralding the beginning of Japonisme in France and Europe.

In 1854, Japan opened itself to foreign trade after more than 200 years of self-sufficiency, creating a genuine fascination in France for this enigmatic country, particularly with the discovery of the artist Hokusai, who had died only a few years earlier. Hokusai's prints were widely distributed and enjoyed great success throughout Europe.

Portrait of the Japanese painter Hokusai and prints

This is how the Japonisme fashion was born, which would have a great influence on the decorative arts of the second half of the 19th century and even give rise to the Art Nouveau style at the very end of the century!

19th-century European paintings of women around Japanese art objects (Gustave Léonard de Jonghe, James Tissot, Claude Monet)

Also during this same period, in opposition to urban expansion and increasing industrialization, city dwellers sought out nature. Birds and flowers were depicted everywhere: in painting, architecture, even jewelry; clothing was adorned with feathers, and ladies' hats with taxidermied birds! The bourgeoisie took up gardening, and this was the period when many new varieties of roses were created.

Photograph of Felix Bracquemond and the Creil factory, engraving of the Paris Universal Exhibition in 1867.

Riding this still nascent wave, the rapidly expanding Creil Montereau factory, owned by partners Lebeuf and Milliet, presented a new dinner service at the 1867 Universal Exhibition in Paris, adorned with animal and plant motifs inspired by Hokusai's Japanese prints.

It was Félix Bracquemond, an engraver, who created all the decorations for this service in collaboration with Eugène Rousseau (hence the name of the Rousseau service), a merchant and publisher who would market the service in his Parisian shop.

 The style was highly innovative and the success immediate! The jury awarded a bronze medal to Eugène Rousseau and a gold medal to the Creil-Montereau manufacture.

28 plates of very varied decorations of farm animals, fish and crustaceans, insects and plants are etched, printed, cut out, then applied to the fine earthenware of Creil-Montereau, then hand-painted under glaze for a magnificent rendering of the colours.

The characteristic blue border, known as the "combed" border, which is found on all the pieces, is applied by hand. It frames the whole piece, like a painting.

Examples of Hokusai prints compared to pieces from the Rousseau service in Creil Montereau

Meanwhile, during the 19th century, new industrial techniques made it possible to produce high-quality tableware in large quantities and make it more accessible. The table became a space for elegance and a stage for everyday life in every bourgeois home, allowing one to display their status to their guests.

We understand that the timing was perfect to ensure the success of this service which has now become a sought-after collector's piece, testifying to the know-how of Creil Montereau and the evolution of bourgeois taste in the 19th century: a dialogue between art, technical innovation and the art of living.

Each plate tells a story of an era… and a certain idea of beauty.