Nevers

Nevers stands on the Loire, the seat of the counts and later dukes of the Nivernais. Its ducal residence overlooked a city whose crafts gained a reputation far beyond the river. Among them, tin-glazed earthenware became a particular distinction, bringing Italian techniques into the workshops of central France.

In 1565 Louis Gonzaga of Mantua married Henriette of Cleves, heiress of Nevers. Italian artists and craftspeople came to the ducal city, including the potter Augustin Conrade of Albissola. His family became prominent in the production of faience. During the seventeenth century Nevers potters developed their own styles, using vivid blues and greens and adapting Italian, French and eastern decorative ideas. Their wares made Nevers one of the leading centres of French faience.