Copperworks of Cerdon A genuine industrial heritage, the Copperworks of Cerdon have become a national curiosity, listed as one of the 200 most astonishing sites in France. Open to the public, today, the workshops and the Museum of Copper, which is attached to them, receive 80,000 visitors every year.
www.cuivreriedecerdon.com
Diamond Spinnerets Precious metal working developed during the golden age of Trévoux, the former capital of the Principality of Dombes, particularly the manufacture of gold thread, formed by pulling the metal through the hole in a spinneret. This activity disappeared, following royal decision at the end of the 18 th century and was replaced by the production of diamond spinnerets, which, at the start of the 20 th century, made Trévoux a world capital in the speciality.
Earthenware of Meillonnas The clays and limestone marl of the region, of exceptional quality, have been employed since the Middle Ages. The famous “White of Bresse” (a plaster which retains patterns) was exported for many years. In Meillonnas, a village in Revermont, a factory was created in 1760. More than 400 different shapes were produced, some of which were decorated with enamel in an 18th century style.
Today, rich collections may be admired at the Museum of Brou in Bourg-en-Bresse and the Museum of Revermont in Treffort-Cuisiat.
Furniture of Bresse Rarely signed, it illustrates the know-how of the carpenters, often farmers, who laboured in modest workshops, with a few apprentices working around a master craftsman. The craftsmen of Bresse knew how to combine their original touch with the taste for the style of Louis XV. The combined work of wood from Revermont and the neighbouring region of Mâcon, elm, ash, cherry, oak and walnut, created a rich and harmonious mix of colours.
Enamel work of Bresse Neither chased, cloisonné, or painted, the enamel work of Bresse is created on a background of fine silver or gold, cut from laminated plates by hammer. This background, sometimes pierced through the centre in order to set a stone, presents a criss-cross relief which holds the colour. The golden age of enamel work was the end of the 19th century, but the tradition is still continued today by some local jewellers.
Furniture
