Julien Michaud
Emaux de Longwy
Self-taught French artist Julien Michaud was born in 1976, and now lives and works in Paris. An illustrator and a potter, in 2015 he designed and published a series called Little journal to get better. Ever since then, his creatures have lived a life of their own on paper. They describe their scenarios, their drama and their loves. They appear and disappear, changing colour and masks as they remain in pace with the forms. Atelier Particulier asked him to rework a selection of essential garments from its collections so he worked with the illustrious Longwy manufacture on a creation which represents his minimalist tastes, both sophisticated and precious, to create objects embracing a playful, tongue-in-cheek style.
Manufacture des Emaux de Longwy 1798 is a venerable maiolica pottery factory with know-how unique of its kind. It was established in the Lorraine region, and was the first ceramic industry to be set up in the eighteenth century. Founded by the Boch family in an old convent, its products became renowned after a visit from the Emperor Napoleon I, who ordered tableware from Longwy for the Imperial Homes of the Legion d'Honneur. In 1835, the d'Huart family acquired ownership of the Manufacture, allowing it to prosper for more than 150 years. In 1870, Italian Amédée de Carenza, a specialist in the cloisonné decoration technique, joined the terracotta industry and created a new artistic process: the line of black enamel which was used in the place of the brass wire for separating the colours. It heralded the birth of the first Longwy enamels. For over a century, Longwy has held the sole rights for producing cloisonné enamels on terracotta. Since 2015, the Manufacture’s history has continued thanks to the Emblem Group. In the heart of the Manufacture’s laboratory, measuring 20,000 square metres, a number of skilled artisans guard the secrets of how the enamel is produced. From modeling to casting, from the process of finishing to that of pressing, filling, cooking and cracking, it takes no less than 7 different know-hows to craft a one-off piece. Precision work sometimes requiring up to 100 hours orchestrated by passionate craftsmen, allowing crystal powder to be transformed into enamels with a magical glow.
