Jeanneney was born on August 6, 1861, in Strasbourg, France. After graduating from the École Centrale des Arts et Manufactures in Paris, where he studied engineering, he moved back to Strasbourg, where he resided and trained as an artist between 1885 and 1889. In 1889, Jeanneney went back to Paris and moved into the “cité fleurie”, a community of artists located on Boulevard Arago. Gifted and fortunate, the young French artist quickly took a liking to the popular Japoniste style and started to build an impressive collection of East Asian antiques and objects. The collection was inspirational to many Parisian ceramists and artists, including Jean Carriès. In addition to Chinese and Japanese works of art, Jeanneney also purchased dozens of ceramics by his friends Jean Carriès, Ernest Chaplet, Adrien Dalpayrat, and Auguste Delaherche.
In the 1890s, Jeanneney produced ceramics at a more consistent rate. His strong background in mineralogy and chemistry helped him create singular palettes of color and textures that strongly differentiate his work from Jean Carriès’. East Asian influences, organic motifs, sculptural form, and avant-garde shapes that foreshadow the 1950s design renaissance remain some of the most distinctive characteristics of Paul Jeanneney’s work as a ceramist. His popularity in the field allowed him to collaborate with some of the most acclaimed artists of his time, including Auguste Rodin.