The Collector's Handbook to Keramics of the Renaissance and Modern Periods Part 15

ELIJAH MAYER of Hanley was a contemporary of Wedgwood. He was noted for his cream-coloured ware and brown-line ware, but he produced many other varieties. A vase of unglazed drab terra-cotta, with festoons, &c., in relief, coloured (see Fig. 252).

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 252.--VASE.]

He also produced basaltes ware tea services, with animals, &c., in relief.

PALMER of Hanley was a great pirate of Wedgwood's inventions, and Mrs.

Palmer, who seems to have been the active manager of her husband's business, engaged persons surrept.i.tiously to obtain Wedgwood and Bentley's new patterns as soon as they arrived at the London warehouse, for the purpose of copying them. Palmer had a London partner of the name of NEALE. They imitated Wedgwood's black Egyptian vases and other inventions, and eventually his Etruscan painted vases. In 1776 Palmer failed, and the business was carried on by Neale & Co., who by some means discovered the secret of the jasper body. They became formidable rivals of Wedgwood.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 253.--JARDINIeRE. _Of blue and white jasper._]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 254.--VASE.]

J. VOYEZ of Hanley was a clever artist; he was employed by Wedgwood and afterwards by Neale and Palmer.

FENTON. THOMAS WHIELDON of Fenton established a pottery in 1740; besides the common household articles, he made fancy marbled ware. Aaron Wood and Josiah Spode were his apprentices, and Josiah Wedgwood was in partners.h.i.+p with him until 1759.

TUNSTALL. ENOCH BOOTH of Tunstall, and JOHN WARBURTON of COBRIDGE in the same county, were extensive potters, and first made cream-coloured pottery by the use of fluid glaze introduced by Booth.

WILLIAM ADAMS of Tunstall was a favourite pupil of Wedgwood, and while with him executed some of his finest specimens of jasper ware. He afterwards went into business on his own account, and carried on an extensive trade.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 255.--JUG. _Of blue jasper._]

LANE END. JOHN TURNER of Lane End made a fine description of ware, and his productions were the most successful imitation of Wedgwood's jasper, with ornaments in relief, and only second to the latter's in excellence; he also made a fine white stoneware.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 256.--SUGAR BASIN. _Of yellow clay, with figures in relief._]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 257.--TEAPOT. _With medallion, figures in relief._]

LONGPORT. The Messrs. DAVENPORT of Longport made great improvements in the manufacture of earthenware; they were celebrated especially for their stone china. The manufactory was established in 1793, and has been successfully carried on up to the present day in the same family.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 258.--CUP, COVER, AND SAUCER.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 259.--DISH.]

LANE DELPH (now Middle Fenton). MILES MASON of Lane Delph early in the last century produced some fine ware. The ironstone china was brought to great perfection by Charles James Mason, and the forms were of a high quality, very much resembling porcelain.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 260.--CUP, COVER, AND SAUCER.]

STOKE-ON-TRENT. THOMAS MINTON established a manufactory at Stoke-upon-Trent in 1791; he was apprenticed to Turner of Caughley as an engraver. His productions were of the useful kind, viz., services for the table, in imitation of common nankin. He died in 1836, and was succeeded by his second son, the celebrated Herbert Minton, who brought the potter's art to great perfection. He largely increased the business, and manufactured articles in earthenware, hard and soft porcelain, and parian. Reproductions of Italian maiolica, Delia Robbia, Palissy, and Henri II. ware were also extensively made by him. He died in 1858, and was succeeded by Michael Daintry Hollins and Colin Minton Campbell, his nephew and heir. The founder's grandsons afterwards succeeded to the business; the firm of Messrs. Minton & Co. still exists, but there are no members of the family now connected with it.

LIVERPOOL. Early in the 18th century, and probably much before that, Liverpool was noted for the manufacture of pottery. Little is known of its early history, and it was not until Mr. Jos. Mayer rescued from oblivion many interesting particulars that anything like a succinct account was published. In his interesting notice of the Art of Pottery in Liverpool, we learn that the most celebrated of the early potters was Alderman Thomas Shaw, who had works for making pottery in the beginning of the 18th century; several large plaques and monumental slabs of his make are in existence, dated from 1716 to 1756. About this time, there seems to have been a large demand for punch bowls; as these formed the princ.i.p.al ornaments on the sideboards of the middle cla.s.ses, and especially on board the s.h.i.+ps, which were constantly going and coming in the port, considerable pains were taken in decorating them, and many are still in existence painted with s.h.i.+ps, convivial mottoes, and inscriptions.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 261.--MUG.]

Another important establishment was founded by Mr. John Sadler, the son of a painter, who had learnt the art of engraving.

He was the inventor, about 1752, of the method of transferring prints from engraved copper plates upon pottery, and in conjunction with Guy Green, proposed to take out a patent in 1756, the draft of which is still preserved, but they preferred keeping the invention secret to the doubtful security of patent rights.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 262.--PUNCH BOWL.]

Wedgwood availed himself of this new mode of decoration, and sent his Queen's ware weekly to Messrs. Sadler and Green to be printed.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 263.--TILES. _By_ J. SADLER.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 264.--TEAPOT. _With portrait of Wesley._]

RICHARD CHAFFERS was the princ.i.p.al manufacturer of Liverpool; he served his apprentices.h.i.+p with Alderman Shaw, and in 1752 established a bank for the manufacture of blue and white earthenware and fine porcelain, which gained him great reputation; they were largely exported to our American Colonies (now the United States).

His porcelain works were established about the same time as those of Worcester and Derby, and his productions had a great sale in England.

The Liverpool establishments of PENNINGTON, PHILIP CHRISTIAN and RICHARD ABBEY were on an extensive scale, but towards the end of the eighteenth century only one of any importance survived, and that belonged to Messrs. WORTHINGTON, HUMBLE and HOLLAND, who in 1796 established a large manufactory on the south bank of the Mersey. As Wedgwood had christened his settlement Etruria they called theirs Herculaneum. A larger capital being required, in 1806 an increase of proprietors took place. The first wares made here were Queen's and blue printed ware. About 1800 the production of porcelain was commenced, the mark used being "Herculaneum," or "Herculaneum Pottery." About 1836, when the factory came into possession of Messrs. Case, Mort & Co., the mark used was a bird called the liver, which forms the crest of the Borough of Liverpool.

JACKFIELD, near Thursfield, in Shrops.h.i.+re. There was an old pottery here about 1760. The ware was of a red clay, with a brilliant black glaze, sometimes with scrolls and flowers in relief. Tea services are frequently seen. The jugs were known in the locality as "black decanters." About 1780 the works were taken by Mr. John Rose, and subsequently removed to COALPORT, on the opposite side of the Severn, where the well-known Salopian porcelain was made.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 265.--TEAPOT.]

Fig. 265. A black glazed teapot inscribed "Richard and Ruth Goodin, 1769."

FULHAM. The first successful imitation of the _gres de Cologne_ was made by JOHN DWIGHT, an Oxfords.h.i.+re gentleman, and in course of time it almost entirely superseded the importation from abroad. This great potter took out his first patent in 1671, and probably established a manufactory at Fulham in that year, which was successfully carried on through two patents of fourteen years each. The Fulham stoneware is of exceedingly hard and close texture, very compact and sonorous, covered with a salt glaze, of grey colour, ornamented with a brilliant blue enamel in bands, leaves, and flowers, having medallions of kings and queens of England in front, with Latin names and t.i.tles, or their initials only.

Dwight produced a great variety of objects, and brought the potter's art to a great perfection. The figures, busts, and groups are exquisitely modelled, and will bear comparison with any contemporary manufactures of Europe. A careful inspection will convince any unprejudiced mind of the erroneous impression which exists, that until the time of Wedgwood the potter's art in England was at a very low ebb, and that none but the rudest description of pottery was made, without any attempt to display artistic excellence. For here, a century before Josiah Wedgwood's time, we have examples of English pottery which would do credit to the atelier of that distinguished potter himself. John Dwight died in the year 1737, and with him also departed the glory of his manufactory at Fulham.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 266.--"LYDIA DWIGHT. _Dyed March 3, 1673._"]

LAMBETH. The next important pottery in England in the 17th century was that of Lambeth. In the _History of Lambeth_ it is related that about 1650 some Dutch potters established themselves here, and by degrees the industry became important, for the village contained no less than twenty manufactories, in which were made the glazed pottery and tiles used in London and various parts of England. The ware was very much of the character of Delft, with a fine white creamy glaze, painted with landscapes and figures in blue.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 267.--DISH.]

The white bottles or jugs, upon which are written the names of wines accompanied by dates, were made here.

The trade flourished here for more than a century, until about 1780 or 1790, at which time the Staffords.h.i.+re potters, by the great improvements they had made in the quality of their ware, and having coal and clay ready to their hand, were enabled to produce it at a cheaper rate, and eventually beat the Lambeth potters out of the field.

The Lambeth potters, about the end of the 17th century, appear also to have copied the forms of the Palissy ware, especially in large oval dishes with initials and dates. Fig. 267 is an example of one of these dishes.

YEARSLEY, in Yorks.h.i.+re. A pottery of coa.r.s.e character was made here in the 17th century. A factory was established by an ancestor of Josiah Wedgwood about the year 1700; and on the estate of Sir George Wombwell fragments of pottery, of a coa.r.s.e brown ware, with lead glaze, have been frequently found on the site of the old manufactory.

There was also a manufactory established at the Manor-house, YORK, about 1665, of which little is known except the mention of its existence by Ralph Th.o.r.esby and Horace Walpole; although it is by the former erroneously called porcelain, the ware was actually a fine stoneware, with a salt glaze.

DON POTTERY. There was a pottery on the river Don, near Doncaster, established by Mr. John Green of New-hill, who came from the Leeds pottery about 1790. In 1807 some other members of his family joined the firm, and it was for a short time "Greens, Clark, & Co."

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 268.--TEA CADDY. _Of yellow clay, ornamented with chocolate brown applique medallions of female figures in relief._]

The Don Pottery was very similar to that of Leeds, frequently producing pierced work-baskets, vases, dinner, dessert and tea services, &c.

LEEDS. This ware was made by Messrs. Hartley, Greens, & Co. in 1770. It is of a sort of cream colour, and has much perforated or basket-work, sharply cut out of the borders in various patterns. Important centre-pieces with figures were also made here.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 269.--CHESTNUT BOWL AND COVER.]