In western Burgundy, south and north of the river Loire, numerous mines produced a local shade of natural earth ochre. Long before it became famous for its wines, and ochre was pulled from the earth, thin layers of iron ore were mined in the region, establishing a smelting industry and contributing to its wealth. Besides ochre and iron ore, there are also significant occurrences of gray clay which burns to a light color in ceramics. The ochre veins run only about a foot thick, and usually deep in the earth. After taking over the S.O.F. (Societe des Ocres Francaises) in 1970, the ochre producers of southern France closed all mines in Burgundy which had turned unprofitable, since the mines of the Luberon in the Provence region yield a higher volume and are more accessible. By chance we have obtained a good amount of the Burgundy ochres from old stock.
