Founded 1850 | ||
Émile Henry Ltd. is a manufacturer of ceramic ovenware, tableware, and bakeware products. Founded in 1850, it is located in Burgundy, France.
Contents
1850: Jacques Henry
Pottery Potter, Jacques Henry runs a small workshop in Marcigny, southern Burgundy. The production is varied: jugs, pots, casseroles, dishes, plates… and is manufactured on 2 manual wheels. 2 kilns heated by wood are used for firing.
1882: Paul Henry
Paul Henry takes over after his father, and from 1882 to 1894 he moves to Paris to expand his customer base. 40 people are employed and the kilns are run on coal. Mechanical wheels, run on gas, replace the manual ones. In 1912, steam, a symbol of power and independence, modernizes the production process.
1922: Emile Henry
Emile Henry takes over the company. Born in 1885, he goes to war in 1914. Competition is strong from producers of metal cookware, and this leads to many potteries closing down. The Parisian customers remain faithful, and count for 40% of sales. 50 people are now employed, and the finished products made are left unglazed for horticultural use or glazed for culinary use.
1950: Maurice Henry
When Emile dies in 1950, Maurice Henry finds himself at the head of the company at 32 years old. Production increases from 1100T in 1950 to 3000T in 1965 and 5000T in 1975. Horticultural pottery is stopped in 1980 to concentrate exclusively on glazed pottery for culinary use. Firing changes from coal-run kilns to electricity, then to oil and finally gas. Firing times are reduced from one week to 72 hours, 24 hours, 12 hours, and eventually to 4 hours. The company now employs 200 people. The export market develops in Denmark, Benelux and the United Kingdom, to reach 15% of sales.
1983: Jacques Henry
After having run the company with his father Maurice for 9 years, Jacques Henry sets new objectives:
Emile Henry is awarded the ISO 9001 international quality standard in 2002.
2012: Jean-Baptiste Henry
Jean-Baptiste Henry, Jacques' son, takes over the family company.
Production Technique
Step 1: Forming the Clay
The clay is mixed with different finely ground stones and water. This results in a rather liquid clay called slip.
Step 2: Casting
The slip is poured into plaster molds. Each mold corresponds to a shape: oval dish, square dish, oval terrine, pitcher… Part of the water in the slip is absorbed by the plaster so that the clay sets, giving the shape of the dish. Once turned out of the mould, the dish is dried at 50 °C for 6 hours.
Step 3: Glazing
Glazing consists of spraying a coloured glaze on the dish. The glaze is made of ground glass and colouring, mixed with some water.
Step 4: Firing
The glazed dish is fired in the kiln for 4 hours at (1150 °C). The glaze melts to become a very strong glass, and is completely smooth. When the pieces come out the kiln, they are checked manually, one by one, in order to ensure constant quality.