Embark on a voyage through history with Jacques Herbin, established over three centuries ago. What began with long-distant journeys and adventures to faraway lands, evolved into one of the oldest French wax and ink factories in the world
As the years went by, the company expanded its product range, introducing innovations and registering brand names such as Encre violette des écoles de la IIIème République, Perle des encres and Encre des voyageurs. Numerous awards were won at the “great industry exhibitions” in London and Paris.
Jacques Herbin was a 17th century French adventurer who, following multiple journeys to India, returned to Paris with formulas for manufacturing sealing wax and inks. He established the House of Jacques Herbin in 1670, specializing in sealing wax and fine stationery. Located a stone’s throw from the Louvre in the district of the powerful Corporation des Marchands Merciers, of which it was a member, the House of Jacques Herbin traded with the Mediterranean and the Levant, and further afield with India. Jacques Herbin imported shellac for the preparation of chancery wax and Indian (Chinese) ink from East India Company trading posts in Pondicherry, India, and Mahé, Seychelles. Sailing to India’s Malabar coast was an arduous six-month ordeal, fraught with perils: storms, fevers, the dreaded “Passage de la Ligne,” the treacherous Cape of Good Hope, and the constant threat of pirates and English and Dutch ships.
A vision of the future In the last days of the Directoire period, the company took a gamble on the future and changed its commercial destiny: while continuing to trade in wax, paper and colors (pigments), it launched its own production of writing inks under the impetus of Jacques Herbin, a member of the fourth generation.
Two more generations of entrepreneurs perfected the manufacturing processes, acquired the know-how and refined the artistic line that still makes Jacques Herbin unique today: products with character, inks with incomparable light and nuance, born of long-distance sailing, distant hues and spices.
During the 19th century, Jacques Herbin took part in major international exhibitions in Paris and London in 1823, where it won medals for the exceptional quality of its inks and waxes.
The Jacques Herbin company was handed down from father to son throughout the 20th century. Under the Clairefontaine Rhodia umbrella since January 2021, Jacques Herbin continues to write a new page in its history with ink. Clairefontaine Rhodia continues to offer renowned products, starting with wax and fine art and writing inks made in France. These high-quality products have won over customers the world over, and continue to take them on a journey through time.
