A showcase of the 19th-C. ceramics industry – including old studios belonging to the Dukes of Burgundy –, the Manufacture de Longchamp illustrates a winning blend of craftsmanship and creativity thanks to Philippe Orliac. A ceramist from the age of 14, he refired the kilns in 2016 of this institution, fast asleep for a decade. "My goal was to reintroduce know-how of excellence while preserving this heritage," he explains. Not content with perpetuating the tradition of porcelain, Philippe Orliac overturned, reinvented, and combined it with other disciplines to create unique and surprising pieces of high workmanship – adorning the finest gastronomic addresses such as that of Clos du Cèdre. Lacy, cracked, or transparent effects, sometimes diamond-chiselled or enhanced by a hand-painted gold border and chromolithographic motifs, these dishes embody originality, occasionally verging on Surrealism recalling Salvador Dalí. "I am especially fond of everything that defies gravity and time," confides this passionate artist, astutely incorporating technicity and innovation. "My mind is always racing with new ideas."

In addition to tableware, the Manufacture de Longchamp explores other horizons: vases, candle jars, stained glass windows, wall frescos portraying Burgundy wines, monumental Art Nouveau panels inspired by painter Alphonse Mucha… "We have not yet reached the limits of what we can do with ceramics. It is a fantastic material with endless possibilities," promises Philippe Orliac, for whom creativity knows no frontiers.