Exhibition | Ardus and Nègrepelisse earthenware

In Lamothe-Capdville, in the Aveyron region near Montauban, François Duval, Baron d’Ardus and a formidable businessman, founded a pottery factory in 1737 that operated for nearly 180 years and was awarded the coveted title of “royal manufactory.” Nearly fifty years later, in Nègrepelisse, another businessman, Jean Viguié, founded an ambitious(…)

In Lamothe-Capdville, in the Aveyron region near Montauban, François Duval, Baron d’Ardus and a formidable businessman, founded a pottery factory in 1737 that operated for nearly 180 years and was awarded the coveted title of “royal manufactory.” Nearly fifty years later, in Nègrepelisse, another businessman, Jean Viguié, founded an ambitious workshop of his own, which, in contrast, would operate for barely twenty years, and not without difficulties.
Despite the significance of these earthenware pieces, which were exported in large quantities far beyond our region and are known today only to a handful of ceramics enthusiasts, no exhibition had ever been dedicated to them.
Brought together for the first time, 350 objects—most of them never before seen—reveal the scale and variety of production at these private enterprises, whose history has been entirely revisited and rewritten.

Guided tours:
• Sunday, May 3 at 3:00 p.m.
• Friday, June 5 at 4:00 p.m.
• Saturday, September 5 at 5:00 p.m.

Accessible with the Belleperche Abbey admission ticket