Set of 8 French Limoges Porcelain Cups and 12 Saucers. Marked on undersides, along with mark of Wm Guerin & Co. 

Saucer Diameter: 5 1/2 in. 

Cup Size: 5 1/2 X 2 X 4 in. 

#5334 . 

The term Limoges Porcelain refers to hard-paste porcelain produced by factories in and around the city of Limoges, France, beginning in the late 18th Century, by any manufacturer. The industry was established by economist Anne Robert Jacques Turgot, Baron de Laune in 1771 following the discovery of local supplies of kaolin and a material similar to petuntse in the economically distressed area at Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche. Limoges quickly became known for producing goods extremely similar to Chinese porcelain. This led to a manufactory at Limoges coming under the patronage of the comte d’Artois, brother of Louis XVI, and was later purchased by the King in 1784, although the French Revolution diminished production in all workshops. After the Revolution multiple private factories were established at Limoges, including Bernardaud, Haviland & Co. and Royal Limoges, and by about 1830 Limoges had replaced Paris as the main center for porcelain due to their proximity to the most ideal sources of clay, although the state-owned Sèvres porcelain near Paris remained dominant in the market for a few decades more. Limoges remains the primary hub for all porcelain production in France to this day, producing more than 50% of all porcelain in the country.