About François Piton

François Piton was born in Belgium in 1953. His wife fortunately shares his taste for antiques. At the beginning of their marriage, they decided to furnish and decorate their home with antiques picked up at fairs or from dealers. They still scour brocantes and fleamarkets in an indefatigable search for rarities.

Right from the start, they were taken with "Vieux Rouen". As their collection grew, they got to know antiques dealers and well-informed collectors. They made frequent visits to Desvres and the people they met there also contributed to their knowledge of the faïence in all its guises - the beginning of a real love story …

François and his wife started dealing in Desvres in a bid to increase and upgrade their personal collection, standing first at small fairs and later at salon events. The many amateurs of Rouen décor, eager for information - especially about dates and signatures - inspired François to write his first book, "It’s Desvres! on the way to discover the Old Rouen…".

Now that these wonderful pieces are known to a wider audience, increasing numbers of collectors want more information about their tiles, porcelain, terracotta, barbotine and so on. So the time is ripe for François' second book on everything from Desvres.

Judith DUNN