François Joseph Peterinck was born on October 4, 1719, in the parish of Saint-Étienne in Lille.
He began his working life as an officer in the French army, then became a coal merchant in Ath, where he was tasked by Joseph II with dismantling the fortifications of Tournai in 1782.
In 1747, he married Anne Catherine Louise Deswatines in Saint-Julien d'Ath, before acquiring the factory that François Joseph Carpentier had just established on the Quai des Salines in Tournai in 1750.
This porcelain was intended for all social classes. Thanks to the less expensive "blue camaïeu" porcelain (the most common type), Tournai produced numerous luxury pieces that rivaled the finest European wares.
In 1752, Prince Charles of Lorraine, Governor of the Netherlands, granted the Tournai factory the title of Imperial and Royal. Peterinck was authorized to display His Majesty's coat of arms and also to choose a specific mark for Tournai porcelain; he selected the Tower, the symbol of Tournai.
In 1795, François Joseph Peterinck became a general councilor of the city of Tournai.
His house, located near his factory, still stands at numbers 9-13 Rue Muche-Vaches in Tournai.
He died in Tournai on November 26, 1799.
