A little history on the pottery of Boch Freres “Keramis” and Villeroy & Boch

The company began in the tiny Lorraine village of Audun le Tiche, where the iron master François Boch set up a pottery company with his three sons in 1748. started manufacturing ceramic crockery and accessories. ^[2] In 1766 Boch was licensed to build a ceramics kiln works nearby at Septfontaines, Luxembourg, where it operated a porcelain factory. In 1785 Nicolas Villeroy became sole owner of the faience manufactory at Wallerfangen. In 1812 Jean-François Boch began construction of kilns at the nearby town of Mettlach, Saarland. In 1824 Boch commenced transfer printing on porcelain from engraved copper plates. On 14 April 1836, the Jean François Boch company merged with that of the competitor, Nicolas Villeroy, and became Villeroy & Boch, (V&B, also simply ‘VB’). In 1869, Villeroy & Boch opened the first manufactory specializing in architectural tiles.

In 1748, François Boch, together with his three sons, started manufacturing ceramic crockery and accessories. In 1836, Jean-François Boch merged with the successful stoneware producer, Nicolas Villeroy, to form the Villeroy & Boch company. This merger created one of the first global corporations of the 19th century.

Boch Freres Keramis

Boch Frères Keramis, later Royal Boch, was founded in 1841 by Eugène and Victor Boch, together with their brother-in-law, Jean-Baptiste Nothomb. At its height the company was one of Belgium’s largest producers of ceramics. 

Boch Frères Keramis dominated the Belgian market in the late 19th century, but it would see particular success in the first half of the 20th century with the arrival of Charles Catteau, (born in Douai, France, in 1880) whose developments of form, technique and decoration transformed ceramics into an exceptional class of Art Deco wares.

The company’s name, “Keramis,” was derived from keramos, the ancient Greek word for pottery.

You will find similarities of flow blue potteries from these potters in patterns and shapes