Furnaces and finesse: France's Sèvres ceramics factory #frenantique; #antique

For nearly three centuries, the Sèvres factory has been a mecca for ceramics. In 2016, a very special event took place, the lighting of the so-called Great Kiln. The furnace is only lit once every 10 years. It's a rare chance for the 120 potters to let a group of artists work their magic. What will happen during the firing? Well, it will be a big surprise. You should never be afraid when adding a brushstroke. You have to forget fear. The fear comes before, and the deception or the joy comes after. But you need to be bold. This craftsman's job involves adding four layers of enamel. It's a dye that we put on so that we can see what we're doing, but it will become totally translucent after the firing. That makes six. Loading the kiln is a very delicate operation which takes several days to complete. Tiny pots and huge vases all have to be carefully stacked together and then sealed in with protective bricks. Deposits of slag, smoke and ashes will all be inside the firing area. So we have to protect the pots to make sure that none of this dirt comes into contact with the enamel. It has to be very airtight. We'll bring you a base. Some are just learning this process. Others have mastered it for years. This is the factory's oldest employee. He's seen eight great kilns lit and has written down his observations in this precious notebook. For me, it was essential to write everything down and draw these sketches with these annotations. This magic moment just had to be recorded. As the saying goes, words fly away but writing lasts. The skills and the know-how of this firing process are all being passed on. We've seen all the care that has to be taken as it's stacked. And then there's the management of the kiln's temperature during the firing. Those are the two key steps that have to be mastered. In the middle of autumn, with the long winter months ahead, crowds come to warm their cockles at the all-important lighting ceremony. I think this is going to be a great moment. You could describe it as a kind of magic. Fifteen volunteers keep a careful eye on the kiln. The temperature of the furnace needs to be monitored for 33 hours straight. The heat can reach highs of 1,280 degrees Celsius. This is known as the messiah. It's a device which acts like a thermometer. Knowing that my work is wrapped up inside and not knowing what they will look like when they come out, it's all a bit worrying. Very good. Turn it up and keep calm. We're lucky because we're all alone in the factory. We have the whole place to ourselves. It's magical. It's great to see the firing at this heat. Metres of very dry wood are stored nearby, ready to feed the kiln. Birch wood is the preferred fuel because it burns with a long and clear flame and produces little ash. The workers spend the night in the factory and take turns to sleep and eat. I've been here for 33 years, so I feel like a part of the team, even though I'm just an electrician. The fact that I'm here alongside my colleagues participating in this event, it's important to me. They were all really motivated and today they're doing well. And they don't make any mistakes? So far, no. Otherwise, I would have been shouting already. It's very exciting and rewarding to be part of all of this and to inherit this know-how and then to pass it on. It's something that doesn't just belong to us. To avoid any heat shock when the kiln is opened, the potters have to wait one long month. But once the bricks are cooled and the furnace is ready to reveal its gems, the crowds gather once again. It's always very emotional when the pieces are brought out of the kiln. We're always a bit shaky and have a knot in our stomachs and often you see a tear or two fall. The artists and potters can now congratulate themselves on the results. All the long and hard hours in the heat and dust are rewarded. Turn it so we can see. I need to take a closer look, but I think it's not bad. The pinks have all turned into blues and everything is a lot brighter and much more airy. Yes, it's really nice. 40 unique pots in total are delicately pulled out, with the artists having painted seven works each. Three monumental vases even measure heights of 1.5 metres. They'll first be displayed in the factory's museum before then standing proud in the living rooms of private collectors.