One of France’s most influential ceramists, Edmond Lachenal contributed significantly to the development of Art Nouveau. In 1870, he began working in the studio of the leading ceramist, Theodore Deck. Lachenal was a quick study and by 1873, he had demonstrated considerable talent to be appointed Director of Decoration in Deck’s studio as well as receiving an Honorable Mention at the World’s Fair in Vienna. By 1881 Lachenal had opened his studio with his wife and fellow ceramist, Anne Le Cloarec, in Paris Auteuil neighborhood where there was a high concentration of ceramic production and artistic exchange. It was his breadth and range that set him apart from other contemporary artists working in the field. He worked in faience and stoneware, and he collaborated with sculptors to produce ceramic versions of their work.

Lachenal’s creative solutions of utilizing hydrofluoric acid to remove the outer layer of glazes to create a velvety matte finish became his hallmark email mat veloute. As a harbinger and master of the Art Nouveau style, Lachenal’s ceramic work moved french ceramics from an appreciative replication of the natural world influenced by the arts from Japan to a fully actualized aesthetic in which artistic process and form expressed these higher laws found in nature. Lachenal leaves an incredible legacy.