The Keramis Manufacture, located in La Louvière, Belgium, embodies nearly two centuries of ceramic expertise and European industrial history. Its origins lie in the legacy of the Boch family, which began in 1748 when François Boch left his profession as a cast-iron moulder to embark on ceramic production with his three sons. This decision marked the beginning of a dynasty of visionary entrepreneurs who would profoundly shape the history of faience.

At the start of the 19th century, Jean-François Boch, François’s grandson, gave decisive momentum to the family enterprise. Trained in chemistry and physics at the École Centrale de Paris, he developed innovative manufacturing techniques that made it possible to produce fine, white, durable faience at a price far lower than porcelain. In 1809, he established a new, modern pottery works in the former abbey of Mettlach on the banks of the Saar. This site would later become the headquarters of Villeroy & Boch following his strategic 1836 partnership with competitor Nicolas Villeroy, forged to counter the growing influx of English imports.

Mindful of the political and economic shifts of his time, Jean-François Boch sought, from 1841 onward, to maintain access to the Belgian market. He purchased a pottery in Saint-Vaast, in the province of Hainaut, and entrusted his son Victor with the construction and management of a new factory. Built swiftly, the site was named “Keramis,” a nod to the ancient Athenian potters and perhaps a deliberate echo of Etruria, the renowned Wedgwood family’s English manufactory.

In 1844, the partnership “BOCH Frères” was founded to ensure continuity between Jean-François and his sons. Production began in August that same year and expanded rapidly. Under Victor Boch’s guidance, the manufacture developed according to a paternalistic and corporatist model. Around the workshops, an entire faience-maker’s town gradually emerged, including workers’ housing, engineers’ residences, a school, a director’s mansion, and a large park. The industrial growth was such that the portion of Saint-Vaast housing the factory became, in 1869, an independent municipality: La Louvière. Keramis employed over 300 workers at the time, nearly 1,000 by 1900, and 1,350 by 1936.

From the 1870s onward, a hand-painting workshop was established, attracting many Dutch artists whose influence brought the Delft style back into fashion. While tableware was increasingly produced mechanically, the manufacture also offered an abundance of artistic and luxury decorative pieces.

The arrival of Charles Catteau in 1906 marked a decisive turning point. A young graduate of the École Nationale de Céramique de Sèvres, Catteau rapidly became the artistic director of Keramis. Working closely with a team of designers, artisans, and technicians within the Atelier de Fantaisie, he profoundly transformed the aesthetic of Belgian ceramics. His modernist vocabulary—geometric forms, stylised animals, and innovative decorative techniques—ushered in a golden age for Keramis. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, the manufacture became a leading figure in Belgian and international Art Deco. Catteau’s works were showcased at numerous international exhibitions, earning the company prestigious awards and worldwide recognition.

Catteau retired in 1947 after forty years of service and was succeeded by Raymond Chevallier, a longtime collaborator whose more abstract approach echoed the artistic trends of the postwar era. In 1948, the company became “Boch Frères S.A.” and launched a sanitary ware division in 1949, adapting to market changes.

The following decades were marked by alternating periods of growth and crisis. Despite strong expansion between 1955 and 1965, the company entered a period of decline beginning in 1975. Restructuring efforts and public financial support were not enough to reverse the trend. The Manufacture Royale La Louvière Boch, which had taken over the production of tableware lines from Boch Frères, went bankrupt in 1988. Acquired in 1989 by the Le Hodey group, it became Royal Boch Manufacture S.A., but financial difficulties persisted. In 2009, Royal Boch of La Louvière was definitively declared bankrupt.

Yet the story of Keramis did not end there. Recognising the heritage value of the historic industrial complex, the Walloon authorities protected part of the site. In May 2015, the former faience factory was revitalised under the guidance of the Walloon Heritage Institute and now houses the Ceramics Centre of the Federation Wallonia-Brussels. Today, Keramis enjoys a renewed cultural, artistic, and educational life, preserving and celebrating the legacy of one of Belgium’s most iconic manufactures.