The city of Rouen, Normandy has been a centre for the production of faience or tin-glazed earthenware pottery, since at least the 1540s. Unlike Nevers faience, where the earliest potters were immigrants from Italy, who at first continued to make wares in Italian maiolica styles with Italian methods, Rouen faience was essentially French in inspiration, though later influenced by East Asian porcelain. As at Nevers, a number of styles were developed and several were made at the same periods.

The earliest pottery, starting in the 1540s, specialized in large patterns and images made up of coloured tiles. A century later the king granted a fifty-year monopoly, and a factory was established by 1647. The wares this made are now hard to distinguish from those of other centres, but the business was evidently successful. When the monopoly expired in 1697 a number of new factories opened, and Rouen's finest period began, lasting until about the mid-century. The decoration of the best Rouen faience was very well-executed, with intricate designs in several styles, typically centred on ornament, with relatively small figures, if any. By the end of the 18th century production was greatly reduced, mainly because of competition from cheaper and better English creamware.

For a brief period from 1673 to 1696 another factory in the city also made the earliest French soft-paste porcelain, probably not on a commercial basis; only nine pieces of Rouen porcelain are now thought to survive.

There are records of "faience in the Italian manner" (maiolica) being made in Rouen in 1526, according to Moon by Masséot Abaquesne, whose workshop was certainly active by the 1540s. He was French, but at least some of his artists may have been Italian. They made painted tiles and also vessels. In 1542–49 they supplied tiles for the Château d'Écouen being built by Anne de Montmorency, the Connétable de France or Grand Constable, chief minister and commander of the French army, who owned an Urbino maiolica service. Another commission from Montmorency's circle was tiling at the Château de la Bastie d'Urfé, built by Claude d'Urfé. Some of these tiles date to c. 1557–60, and after passing through the collections of Gaston Le Breton (1845–1920), a leading art historian of French ceramics, and J. P. Morgan, are now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, which also has three albarellos and a jug by the workshop. In 1543, Masséot signed a contract to supply 346 dozen (4,152) pharmacist's jars to a Rouen apothecary.

Another workshop was started by Masséot's son Laurent Abaquesne and active from about 1545–1590.

In 1644, Nicolas Poirel, sieur (lord) of Grandval, obtained a fifty-year royal monopoly over the production of faience in Normandy. A factory was set up by Edme Poterat (1612–87), who was probably an experienced potter, and had reached an arrangement with Poirel. Three pieces dated 1647 are fairly simply decorated in blue on white, with touches of yellow and green.

In 1663 Colbert, recently made Louis XIV's finance minister, made a note that the Rouen faienceries should be protected and encouraged, sent designs, and given commissions by the king. By 1670, Poterat received part of the large and prestigious commissions for Louis XIV's Trianon de porcelaine, now lost. In 1674, Poterat bought out the monopoly from Poirel; he was now evidently prosperous, and acquired two lordships.

On Edme Poterat's death in 1687, his younger son Michel took over the business. Another son, Louis, had started another faiencerie in 1673, and was later to set up a separate factory to make porcelain (see below).