Soup tureen, Louis XVI service

The Paul Utzschneider period. Thanks to the inventive genius and knowledge of ceramic techniques of Paul Utzschneider, aided by the blockade of England, then the main supplier of ceramics in Europe, the company experienced significant growth. In 1812, it employed 160 workers who operated 7 wood-fired kilns. It was also during this time that the production of polished stoneware began, imitating hard or coloured stones that rivalled those produced by Wedgwood. It was also under the direction of Paul Utzschneider that new clays appeared: the Carmelite clay, so fine that it was said to be the "red porcelain" of Sarreguemines, Egyptian clay (a very fine brown stoneware), and Naples clay (yellow). In 1828, the pottery produced its first printed decorations from copper engravings. In 1836, when he entrusted the management of the pottery to his son-in-law, Baron Alexandre de Geiger, the factory had 300 workers, who operated 3 mills and 7 kilns that now used coal, a much more efficient fuel than wood. His leadership of the company and his creations earned him the Legion of Honour in 1819 and numerous awards at national and regional exhibitions. Paul Utzschneider passed away in Neunkirch-Les-Sarreguemines on 9 September 1844 at the age of 73.