Virebent
Porcelaine du lot depuis 1924
Heritage
Sons of the chief architect of the city of Toulouse, the Virebent brothers registered a patent in 1831 that would revolutionise the manufacture of bricks, enabling the easy creation of cornices and caryatids. By combining this process with multiple piece moulds, they are able to deliver a building facade within a month of an order being placed.
In 1924 Henri Virebent, the grandson, opened his factory in Puy-l’Évêque. The latter produced doorknobs, bottle stoppers, insulating material and components for the electrical industry… In 1960, with plastic becoming widespread, Virebent launches into the art of entertaining and decoration. The firm begins a collaboration with designers. Today, some of their models form part of the collections exhibited at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs (Museum of Decorative Arts) in Paris.
Virebent switches direction, whilst continuing its historical collections and the creation of new lines with contemporary designers. It develops an exclusively manual expertise and trains up its teams to master the skills and processes for craftsmanship par excellence at the service of the big names in decoration.
KNOW HOW
Managed by a chief modeller, the Virebent moulding studio uses sculpture, engraving and turning techniques, which are necessary for creating a model or prototype for evaluation from sketches or a plan. Using the initial model as a base and incorporating plaster, resin or silicone, Virebent designs the necessary tooling for manufacturing a one-off or production piece from plaster and ceramics.
The speciality of our manufacturing lies in the control of the necessary temperatures and atmospheres when working the 3 clays, porcelain, stoneware and earthenware. Used as a slip or plastic paste it is suited to the techniques of casting, gauging and pressing. These clays and their implementation enable the technical and artistic constraints of the various projects entrusted to them to be satisfied.
Precursors of enamels with special effects on porcelain, for several years Virebent has been developing texture colours, relying on its own research and input from external consultants. Beyond the spray applications for multicoloured enamelling or applications per zone, it adapts its processes to obtain special surface or material effects.
In addition to the classic decor techniques with a brush for exceptional pieces, or chromolithographs for the accurate reproduction of a motif, our studio is developing a work in enamel with a base of pigments and oxides at high temperature. It breaks new ground through the perfecting of processes exclusive of airbrush application with a pad…
From Virebent.com