MADELEINE MARTIN

Madeleine Martin Céramique

Le Pré Saint Gervais, FRANCE

“The ugly can be beautiful. The pretty, never.” Paul Gauguin

This quote says that beauty (as is ugliness) is something powerful, durable. Unlike the pretty - which will never have the power to be beautiful. Madeleine aims for her pieces to be rather beautiful than pretty… and cause lasting pleasure, which does not wear out over time.

Madeleine Martin lives and works in Le Pré-Saint-Gervais, on the outskirts of Paris. In 2016, she discovered the immense pleasure of getting her hands dirty (with clay!) and of creating unique objects - which serve her other great passion: eating well. Former communication manager in environmental associations, she decided in 2021 to dedicate her life to ceramics.

more about Madeleine Martin Céramique

Value in the details

Madeleine's Wheel Throwing Journey

Madeleine specializes in wheel throwing, an intricate process comprising five key steps. Initially, she shapes a ball of clay into cups or plates on the wheel. After a few days of rest to reach the desired consistency, she refines the piece, including sculpting the foot, with the piece inverted on the wheel. Subsequently, the item undergoes low-temperature firing at 980°C, followed by glazing and high-temperature firing at 1,250°C.

Working with clay demands patience, respecting its slow drying pace to prevent warping or cracking. Madeleine embraces this extended timeline, with each cup taking 3-4 weeks to complete. She prefers crafting small series, typically 6-10 pieces, allowing her to maintain a focused approach and provide meticulous care to every creation.

You might wonder...

I assume the dinnerware is not microwave or dishwasher safe?

Of course it is :) Use your dishes and cups as you are used to. Remember that the ceramics were fired at 1 250°C: the dishwasher and the microwave are like a caress to them.

So the pieces are also oven safe?

Yes and no. Once again, they can be subjected to a temperature of 1 250° without being damaged. But firing in a ceramic oven lasts 28 hours - because the rise and then the fall in temperature are very long in order to avoid thermal shocks. While the temperature rise for domestic oven use can be 200° in 30 minutes…
It is therefore not possible to cook your chicken directly on your plate - either the chicken would be very dry or the plate would break under the thermal shock ;)

I love sandstone! Are the pieces made of this noble material?

Absolutely! The pieces are made of sandstone from France or Spain, white or red. Sandstone is a “high temperature” clay: it means that it is fired at over 1 200°C, which makes it particularly strong and suitable for everyday use.