 flourished in the Limousin. Medieval silversmiths discovered that by blending sand with metallic oxydes they could obtain brilliantly colored ornaments with a hard, glossy surface. Inspired by their Christian faith, master enamelists like Limosin and Penicaud created magnificent reliquaries to hold the remains of saints or holy hermits, such as the twelfth-century reliquary of Saint Stephen in the church of Gimel-les-Cascades. The Guéret museum preserves a remarkable collection of medieval reliquaries. These marvels of craftsmanship were admired throughout the Christian world, and by the fourteenth century Limoges was the capital of fine enamelwork.
In Felletin and Aubusson still other artists expressed their talents in the tapestries for which the picturesque town of Aubusson, especially, has been famous since the Renaissance. Workshops in both towns still function today, producing tapestries designed by modern artists.
The discovery in 1765 of kaolin deposits near Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche allowed Limoges to rival China in creating beautiful yet strong, translucent porcelain. Madame de Pompadour, mistress of King Louis XV, was enthralled by the prospect of such luxury and lavished her encouragements on the fledgling industry. Supported and organized by Turgot, the king's administrator, the porcelain makers of Limoges made their city the world's china capital. Long the hallmark of an elegant table, bone china from Limoges is threatened by copies and imitations made with cheap labor. The number of china factories has dropped sharply in recent decades, and not even consolidations have managed to revitalize this industry in crisis.
It is astonishing that a land so hard and austere, removed from the major routes of commerce and exchange (but not from the path of war: the Black Prince torched Limoges for rebelling against his tyrannical rule), should have contributed so much to the world of art--enamels, stained glass, poetry, and porcelain--and to the history of religion, producing three popes and several saints, among them the great Saint Martial.
The sparsely populated Limousin has remained an agricultural region, dominated by tawny Limousin cattle which have been bred to produce excellent beef. And although vineyards never took root here, the Limousin's vast forests of oak supply wine growers all over the world with splendid barrels for aging fine Bordeaux, Napa Chardonnay, and Cabernet from Australia's Alexander Valley.
(Updated: 01/07/13 CT)