In 1836 Petrus Laurentius Regout (1801-1878) founded a pottery factory in Maastricht, building on his glass-cutting factory from 1827. In addition to this factory, Regout had a wholesale trade in glass, crystal and pottery. The Belgian Revolution in 1830 hampered trade, but from 1834, with the resumption of imports from Belgium, the situation improved. Regout started with the production of simple pottery and later hired English skilled workers to compete with the popular English creamware.
In 1870, with his sons as co-directors, the company was converted into Kristal-, Glas- en Aardewerkfabrieken van Petrus Regout, and after Regout's death in 1878, it became a Limited Partnership. The Sphinx was used as a logo from 1879 onwards and in 1899 the name was changed to NV Sphinx, formerly Petrus Regout & Co. Frederik Regout, Petrus' grandson, started manufacturing wall tiles in Limmel, near Maastricht, in 1902, an activity that later became part of the company. In 1917, a sanitary department was added.
