In 1735, the Florentine Marquis Carlo Ginori founded a porcelain manufactory on his estate in Doccia, near Florence, Italy.

Carlo Ginori's familiarity with chemistry and mineralogy, the discovery of clays in the Tuscan Hills and his facination with art combined to provide the impetus behind the early Ginori work. Primarily destined for the Medici Court, it bore the mark of the dome of Florence's famous Church Santa Maria del Fiore.

European china simply did not exist until the mid-Eighteenth century. Porcelain had been discovered in the Orient and was being imported into Western Europe, where it was much sought extremely costly. after and Not surprisingly therefore, many European entrepreneurs attempted to find the resources to imitate these oriental ceramics. Carlo Ginori's manufactory was of key historical importance; Europe's third china works, it was established shortly after Meissen in Saxony and Du Pacquier in Vienna. Ginori and Meissen jointly pioneered the development of Western Chinaware. As early as the first Ginori "period," from 1735 to 1757, whilst it was under the direction of its founder, famous shapes and patterns such as "Granduca" and "Italian Fruits" began to emerge. At this stage the shapes were ornate "objects" rather than tableware and Carlo's era saw the creation of the famous goblet for Anna Maria Luisa, who was Electriss Palatine and the last of the Medicis.

The second and third Ginori periods saw a move into more useful ware for the table, yet the tradition of craftsmanship and even the colours established under Carlo Ginori were faithfully maintained by his family. Ginori porcelain was sought after by Europe's noble families; enormous services were produced for Marie Louise of Austria (wife of Napoleon), for Franz 11 and for the Khedive of Egypt.

The Napoleonic Wars forced closure for many Italian businesses and saw Tuscany annexed by Napoleon's Empire. Despite this, the Ginori factory continued production, diplomatically adopting a new "Empire" theme for its wares.

A new Italian monarchy was established in 1861 and under Royal patronage, Ginori was commissioned to produce many works of art and splendid table services. To allow for expansion the company decided, in 1896, to join forces with Giulio Richard's Milanese factory, hence today's name, Richard- Ginori.

This new era saw Ginori producing both classical and Art Nouveau designs, competing on equal terms with the great Porcelain manufacturers of the time, like Royal Copenhagen and.Sevres. In 1923, Gio Ponti joined Ginori as Art Director. His work, which is now highly sought after by HAND PAINTED PORCELAIN, FLORENCE production throughout the whole industry.

The Second World War saw hard times for Ginori, due to the scarcity of materials, and the post-War period soon made it apparent that the original factory had become completely outdated. Work began on a new location at Sesto Fiorentino and was completed in 1949.

Since then the company has continued to grow. The great traditions of Carlo Ginori and his family are maintained and the inspiration.which European artists have derived from Tuscan countryside is still manifest in the traditional designs such as Italian Fruits and Amalfi (Antique Rose) - patterns which are continued with pride up to this day.

The Richard Ginori factory is one of the few remaining producers of fine quality porcelain pot de creme cups.  The patterns are carefully hand painted and the detail exquisite.  Please visit our online catalog hosted by our GourmetSleuth.com web site: Pot de Creme Collection