REVOL's expertise is rooted in the region where it has been established for 255 years. The Drôme des Collines offered all the raw materials needed to work the clay. As a result, a number of pottery workshops were set up very early on, and grew and flourished in the 19th century.
From generation to generation, the Revol Manufacture has preserved and passed on the traditional skills inherent in earthen crafts. The repetition of these precise gestures over a long period of time helps to internalise the technical nature of the craft, and gives it all its value of excellence. Each stage of the manufacturing process requires the care and expertise that only human beings can provide: the modeller's trade combines a detailed knowledge of the material with the dexterity needed to design the plaster moulds and models. The colourist then pours the slip into the mould, then demoulds the piece, before it is cleaned by hand by the finisher. The piece is then dipped by hand in an enamel bath or spray-enamelled using a machine. It is then decorated, either with a brush or by chromolithography. At each stage, the piece is adjusted and checked by the Manufacture's craftsmen, who pass on their expertise to each new generation.
Since the beginning of its history, REVOL has anticipated changes in society. It supports industrial innovation and integrates it fully into its creative practice. Today, at the heart of the Manufacture, the traditional skills inherent in the earthen crafts coexist with an extremely advanced industrial function. Far from standardising our production, this industrial singularity nourishes and broadens our expertise. These innovations are illustrated in particular by the manufacture of our own pastes and glazes, using specific recipes and blends of raw materials. This allows us to experiment with earth materials, to seek out new potential and new areas of expression. These innovations are then applied to the various production and firing processes, creating unique assets specific to the arts of fire.
Today, this fruitful dialogue between excellent craftsmanship and cutting-edge industry is at the service of demanding collections of rare uniqueness.
The pride and joy of the Drôme region, Revol Porcelain was born of an indissoluble alliance between the soil of its region and a family of entrepreneurs dating back nine generations.
It’s in the earth of this region, rich in kaolin – the clay that forms the base material for ceramics – that the porcelain factory found its raison d’être in 1768. Meanwhile, its longevity has been assured by the visionary energy of its various directors down those nine generations.
From Pierre Revol who founded the firm to his descendant Oliver Passot, the current director, Revol has combined its unique expertise with an unquenchable thirst for modernity and novelty. Establishing itself over the course of years as the culinary porcelain brand, this small factory slowly became a centre of excellence without ever betraying the values on which it was founded.
Still firmly rooted in the undulating green landscape that proved so auspicious to its success, the factory now prides itself on equipping the most demanding kitchens, whether those of famous chefs or everyday cooks. Today it’s this same desire to bring out unique talents that brings Revol to the loveliest tables, with kitchenware and other cult objects and design pieces that embody art de vivre.In an era in which the pace of life seems to get faster and faster, Revol swims against the tide with unique products enabling tables that truly stand out from the crowd.
From the Revolution casserole dish with its coloured lid assuring slow, healthy cooking to the crumpled cup – an iconic design piece in production for more than 15 years – all Revol products testify to the firm’s insistence on creativity as well as high production values. Whether they’re developed in-house, as is the case with the Arborescence and Belle Cuisine ranges, or are the result of collaborations with designers and publishers, as with the Caractère or Bombance series, Revol products bear witness to continual experimentation in the field of ceramics.
During casting, precision and dexterity are foremost when it comes to working the barbotine – the clay paste used in making decorated pottery – to pour into the moulds. This is the route to the shape that will be reworked manually, before being glazed and then going into the oven. Some pieces, like those of the Confluence and Solid ranges, require a very specific hand-glazing techique, the secret of which is jealously guarded by the factory workers…A savvy mix of creativity and technical skill, Revol products are physical embodiments of human wealth – that of a factory that draws its energies from the talents of many individuals.
In the quest for innovative solutions for the kitchen and for designs meaningful to contemporary tables, Revol insists on unceasing excellence and creativity in the partners and collaborators with whom it chooses to work.Inexhaustible in terms of the stories it can tell, porcelain undergoes constant reinvention in the hands of Revol’s expert workforce. Within the modelling workshop, the most sophisticated designs take shape in the form of moulds, as seen with the Arborescence and Yli ranges – both entirely hand-made.
Few firms can lay claim to working exclusively with natural primary materials. But such is the case with Revol, who transform – with both panache and passion – meticulously selected kaolin, quartz and feldspar, most of it from France or Europe.
Clay, especially kaolin – so important in the founding of the firm – are chosen for their purity and specific characteristics. Revol experts chose clay with an eye for its colour, which has to be as white as possible. Meanwhile, the quartz is sourced locally, not far from the current Drôme factory. Revol remains one of the only porcelain factories in France – and indeed in the world as a whole – to produce its own clay pastes.
This is mainly of benefit because it allows the firm to adapt materials to its manufacturing processes, which change according to creative demands.The firm also produces its own glazes from pigments and colour oxides, in doing so offering infinite scope for variety when it comes to finding striking renderings and textures – the USP of Revol porcelain. This mastery of the entire production chain, combined with glazing, soaking and pulverisation techniques, allows Revol to meet the demands of the market with speed and efficiency..
Pleated, square, squat or filiform, multicolored or monochrome, sophisticated and rustic ... The shapes are as eclectic as the unique raw material! The generous and delightful palette of Revol creations over time is a wonderful example of the creative, decorative or culinary richness that has contributed to the magic of our tables for generations.