Why it belongs in ORBIS
Maison Pichon has made ceramics at Uzes since 1802, through eight generations of one family. Pieces are shaped and glazed by hand in the workshop on the Mas de Meze estate, which doubles as the showroom. The braided basket has been the emblem of the house for 220 years. Plates, bowls, cups and pocket trays fill out the range.
Maison Pichon has made ceramics at Uzes since 1802, and the house describes eight generations of ceramists passing the trade from father to son. The workshop and showroom stand together on the Mas de Meze industrial estate at the edge of the town, on the old station road. Each piece is shaped by hand and glazed by hand in that workshop. The braided basket is the emblem of the house and has been for 220 years. Around it sits the rest of the table, with plates, bowls, dishes, salad bowls, cups, pocket trays. Collections carry names that point at their sources. Louis XVI Perle and Louis XV Campaign take eighteenth-century models, Provence and France work closer to home, and Meleia, Floralie and Edward are more recent. The company holds the Living Heritage Company label and marks its pieces Made in Occitania. The house writes that a way of drawing, modelling, colouring, mixing raw materials becomes a trademark that enthusiasts recognise and pass on between generations. It calls its handmade work a way of giving life to pieces that will outlive the people who made them. The showroom sells directly to visitors. Orders also ship from the site to buyers outside France.