Manufacture nationale de Sèvres

The Manufacture royale de porcelaine de Sevres is a state porcelain manufactory founded in 1745, operating from Sevres near Paris since 1756. It specialises in soft-paste porcelain with a characteristically milky, warm glaze. Madame de Pompadour championed the workshop, securing royal protection; pieces in the famous Sevres pink and bleu celeste became the diplomatic gifts of the French crown. In the 18th century the house supplied table services to Catherine the Great, Louis XV and foreign courts. Today the site houses both the active manufactory and the Musee national de ceramique, with roughly 50,000 ceramic objects spanning 4000 years. Visitors can tour workshops, kilns and historic glaze laboratories.