Marie Daage, a porcelain painter

Recently, a stunning collection of porcelain caught our eyes. The beautiful and dreamy tablescape collection is called Ciels Bleus… translated, it means “Blue Skies,” the title is both simple and appropriate. The collection is comprised of 14 tableware and decor pieces. Last year, it was available exclusively at Roda Operandi; however now other esteemed retailers are able to carry this collection. Since that’s the case, there’s no doubt we will be seeing more of it.

This signature porcelain collection was made in Limoges, France, and inspired by the ceilings of Renaissance and Baroque edifices throughout Europe. Jonathan Hansen, the New York-based designer who collaborated on this project believes that reflecting upon European architecture and design history should continue to be a source of inspiration.

The blue-sky cloudscape collection is hand-crafted in porcelain; however the awe-inspiring part is the hand-painted brushwood of Marie Daage’s internationally renowned local artisans. Marie Daage was born in Austria and raised in the French West Indies. Daage’s eclectic background was further advanced while she studied at the School of The Louvre. The designer started painting on Limoges porcelain in 1990, and since then she has become an important addition to the French luxury decorative-arts scene.

Daage’s collections are one of the few to be 100% hand-painted; most designs are printed. The end result is rare in that it combines fine Limoges porcelain with expressive hand-painting making each item a piece of art. The look is transformational in that the fluid decorations are so different than the usual rigid motifs found on most other high-end porcelain collections.

The collection’s blue sky evokes historical undertones; the sky is a limitless organic space that is often seen as a meditative state in religious history. The design is abstract and portrays the delicate balance between reality and a dream-like state.

It is clear that Daage is influenced by Austria’s history of the grandeur of Baroque. Her complex palette is a result of an intensive and intricate hand-mixing process. Often times, such an elaborate process might require ten powders to attain the desired hue. For this specific project, Daage worked with her talented painters as they mimicked Hansen’s vision and her design protocols onto each piece.

We wonder if the long pandemic changed anything for either of these designers. Perhaps being at home more emits a sense of desiring to be surrounded by beautiful artifacts… people might be feeling that since you can’t dine at restaurants, you should attempt to replicate that experience at home?

Hansen says that indeed, the current “state of affairs” brought a new perspective to his designs. He says (courtesy of an interview with Scale Magazine), “The design process has not changed for me during this season but the focus/themes of the design work have been refined. The Ciels Bleus collection and the theme of blue skies became even more relevant and powerful given the fact that so many of us are spending so much time indoors. Bringing the expansive sky indoors through the collection has resonated with so many people.”

What we conjure up when we see the Ciels Bleus Collection are the fresco ceilings inside Europe’s bewildering churches. Luckily, the collaboration between Hansen and Daage replicated the feeling of that experience perfectly. Hansen said (courtesy of an interview with Modern Luxury Manhattan), “By embracing the use of porcelain, working hand-in-hand on this yearlong creative process, Marie Daâge and I manifest our shared deference and respect for the time-honored craftsmanship techniques carried on by the Limoges artisans, ones that are all the more essential to preserve today.”