Meet a finial maker
Horse, pelican, fabulous animal, pine cone.... in earthenware or stoneware, the finials adorn the roofs of many buildings and houses. A centuries-old craft tradition, these pieces of art and history were once used to ensure the watertightness of the traditional roof structure by covering and protecting the projecting part. Over time, they have become decorative and more artistic. They are distinguished by the variety of their motifs: fauna, flora, allegories...
2 potteries still make them today
The Mesnil de Bavent pottery, the entry into the world of potters
At the Poterie du Mesnil de Bavent, we have been making finials since 1842. Here everything is done by hand. Only the kilns have changed. The painter and sculptor Martine Kay-Mouat bought the pottery in 1987, where she had done her apprenticeship, and relaunched with her daughter Dominique the manufacture of finials, abandoned since the Second World War. The Mesnil de Bavent pottery is now one of the only ones to produce earthenware and stoneware finials in the pure tradition.
Enter the world of the potters... the pottery is open to the public and guided tours, workshops and exhibitions are organized throughout the year.
Perseverance rewarded!
In 2007, the pottery is labeled "Living Heritage Company" and its know-how is listed in the Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage in France since 2008
Poterie du Mesnil de Bavent
Place called "Le Mesnil
Route de Caen - Cabourg RD513
14860 BAVENT
France02 31 84 82 41
Tony Mauger, the ceramic craftsman specializing in finials
Tony Mauger works as a ceramic potter in Touques in the arts district, which groups together several art craftsmen. During an internship at the Poterie de Bavent, where his mother worked as a ceramist, he quickly showed an aptitude for this craft and remained there for five years. After a brief interlude in the film industry to look after Jacques Perrin's birds on the set of "Le Peuple migrateur", he decided to train as a turner and then as an enameller. With his diploma in hand, he decided to hit the road to perfect his skills and master the various techniques with the potters of France. He settled in Normandy in 2005, bought twenty tons of molds, the oldest of which are nearly 200 years old, and has since perpetuated the tradition of sandstone finials.
