Strasbourg ware

Strasbourg ware, pottery made mostly in Strasbourg, Fr., under the direction of members of the Hannong family from 1721 to 1780. The factory was founded by Charles-François Hannong and was later administered (1730–60) by his son Paul-Antoine and then by the latter’s son Joseph-Adam (1762–80). Faience (tin-glazed earthenware) and porcelain were the principal products of the Hannong enterprise.

Strasbourg faience products included large tureens designed by Paul in forms such as pumpkins and cabbages, as well as naturalistic figures of animals; his work ranged from ornate Rococo pieces, such as clock cases, to plates with comparatively unsophisticated floral decoration. Joseph favoured vessels that resembled basketwork. The Hannongs were early practitioners of overglaze painting in France, and Strasbourg colour schemes were often dominated by an intense carmine.

The development of porcelain production at the Hannong factory owed much to the arrival in 1753 of Johann Jakob Ringler, who had learned the secret of making porcelain at Vienna. Because the royal factory of Sèvres in 1753 prohibited porcelain making at other French factories, Paul Hannong moved his porcelain enterprise to Frankenthal, Ger., in 1755. The prohibition being relaxed in 1766, Paul’s son Joseph resumed making porcelain at Strasbourg. He did not prosper, however, and in 1780 he fled because of debt.