Historique

Pewter objects were already being made to serve food in the Middle Ages.

Louis XIV (The Sun King), by selling his gold and silver tableware in order to finance his battles and the construction of Versailles and replacing it by pewter, is at the origin of the development of the craft of pewter potter.

The Brassac family has been practising this craft for 6 generations now.

First of all in Auvergne, where the family has its origins, the first pewter potters travelled throughout the region, going from village to village, pushing their wooden barrow and making tableware on demand, particularly spoons and "forks for a penny".

The first moulds were made of sand or clay, bronze moulds appeared much later.

At the beginning of the 20th Century, Théo Brassac and his family moved first of all to the department Ain, and then shortly before the Second World War, to Romans sur Isère in the Drôme.

The First and Second World Wars saw a major decline in the activity of pewter potters, due to the rarity of metals and the closure of the tin mines in France, until the arrival of raw materials from South America and Asia.

As a boy, François Brassac learned the craft with his father, Théo, and his brothers Pierre and Jean, up until 1952, when he decided to establish his own pewter business and left.

In order to create his company, François needed capital and over a period of 5 years he worked as a glazier and floor layer.

So 5 years later his company was born in Bourg de Péage (neighbouring town of Romans). At the beginning things were difficult as everything had to be done : the first drawings, the first moulds and finally the first pewter objects.

Several years later, his know-how was recognised by all and he became Master Pewter Potter and created his own hallmarks, which are still present today on each object made by Le Potier d'Etain.

His creations are recognised throughout the country and also abroad, especially in Canada, where in 1980 he established Le Potier d'Étain Inc, a sister company.

In 1983, Patrick Brassac, his son, enters the company to learn the craft of pewter potter.