No ordinary project for no ordinary atelier: that is how one might describe the challenge taken up by the craftsmen of Manufacture d’Aubusson Robert Four. Three giant rugs, commissioned by a Russian buyer – an art enthusiast appreciative of French heritage – took over a year to be entirely handmade. Covering a total surface area of 417 square metres, the three works were inspired by designs made in an Empire style by Jacques-Louis de La Hamayde de Saint-Ange during the first half of the 19th century.

In 1747, the pottery of Bourg-Joly Malicorne first opened its doors, at the heart of the Sarthe Valley. Its founder, Jean Loiseau, was none other than a former sailor of the high seas, who had previously worked in the potteries of Nevers. Attracted by the region, he decided to settle here to work its rich earth: clay. As the pottery began to prosper, it turned to decorative art and religious art. In 1785, it passed into the hands of Loiseau’s son, and in 1829, now enjoying a solid reputation in the region, was bought by Cador. It was subsequently taken on by Cador’s son-in-law, Jules Béatrix, and his descendants, Léon Pouplard and Jules Moreau.