Quimper Pottery | French Faïence from Brittany

Quimper pottery (pronounced kem-pair) has been produced in the town of Quimper since 1708. The name Quimper does not refer to a single manufacturer, but rather to a regional style of pottery created by multiple workshops over centuries in Brittany, France.

Quimper is best known for its hand-painted faïence, decorated with traditionally dressed Breton peasants, coastal and maritime scenes, floral motifs, and other folk imagery drawn from daily life in Brittany. 

Technically, Quimper pottery is classified as faïence, a form of French tin-glazed earthenware. Tin oxide is added to an opaque white glaze, creating a smooth, luminous surface ideal for hand painting. While visually refined, Quimper remains earthenware in material and firing, distinguished from porcelain by its glaze-driven beauty rather than vitrification.

Our Quimper Pottery collection features antique and vintage examples representing one of France’s most recognizable ceramic traditions. For faïence from other French centers, including Lunéville, explore other French Faïence collections.