A woman from Quimperlé with her child

Polychrome earthenware, c. 1880. Design No. 15 from the Porquier-Beau catalogue.

The Porquier-Beau Manufactory (1872–1905) was founded in 1872 through a partnership between the widow Porquier and the painter Alfred Beau. Their collaboration gave rise to the famous earthenware paintings depicting Breton scenes, studies that were as meticulous as they were picturesque. Also drawn to Japonism, Alfred Beau produced a number of pieces that heralded Art Nouveau in Brittany. The already high cost of this production led to the closure of the factory in 1905.