Lachenal's Dish

A beautiful, brightly colored dish from the Edmond Lachenal factory. Edmond Lachenal, pseudonym of Édouard Achille Lachenal, was born in 1855 in Paris. He was hired by the ceramist Théodore Deck, eventually becoming his workshop manager. He received various distinctions and prizes at the Universal Exhibitions in Vienna in 1873 and Paris in 1889 for a dinner service he created for Sarah Bernhardt, with whom he would later act. In 1881, he established his own workshop in Malakoff, then moved to Châtillon-sous-Bagneux. In 1904, Edmond Lachenal gave up ceramics and passed his workshop on to his son Raoul, turning instead to acting, easel painting, and pastels. He died in 1948 in Châtillon, where the Maison du Patrimoine (Heritage House) displays a collection of his works. Maurice Rheims pointed out that Lachenal had invented a matte enamel "with pastel, velvety, and frosted tones" which allowed him to collaborate with other artists such as Hector Guimard and Auguste Rodin, completing their works with his very specific glazing and finishing technique. Rodin also purchased stoneware pieces from him in 1895.