The Story of Wedgwood & Majolica Pottery
During the second quarter of the 19th century, there was an explosion of interest in matters botanical and horticultural in Europe. The discovery of the process of plant reproduction by the botanist Robert Brown inspired English gardeners to construct greenhouses and fill them with a wonderful array of rare specimens. Minton & Company, one of Britain’s leading ceramic factories, created majolica urns, cachepots, garden seats and other fantasy pieces decorated in vivid contrasting colors with exotic flora and fauna, to enhance these displays. The Great London Exhibition of 1851 was the initial showcase for these innovative designs of Minton’s. It was a smashing success, followed by showings at the New York Crystal Palace Exhibition in 1853 and the 1855 Paris Exhibition.
These Victorian majolica examples had their roots in Italian Renaissance maiolica, the tin glazed pottery imported into Italy during the 12th to 17th centuries from the island of Majorca, in the Mediterranean Sea. In the mid-16th century, a French ceramist, Bernard Palissy (1510 to 1590) developed brilliant metal oxides in clay as his medium to create unusual pottery decorated with creatures and plants from the natural world. Unfortunately, his genius died with him in prison, where he was incarcerated for his religious beliefs during the Protestant Reformation. It was not until the 1840′s that another Frenchman, Charles-Jean Avisseau, (1795 to 1861), discovered the secrets of Palissy’s ceramics. Avisseau’s incredible creations inspired a generation of ceramists throughout Europe. His fanciful pottery featuring reptiles, fish, shells and plants are abundantly illustrated in Palissy Wares by Marshall P. Katz and Robert Lehn. The 1985 excavation of the Louvre in Paris turned up the remains of Bernard Palissy’s workshop, opening the gates to further scholarship and investigation into the methods of this 16th century genius.
Majolica was made of water absorbent simple earthenware made impenetrable by using glazes of lead sulfides with additives introduced for color. Slip casting was most often used with mold makers providing perhaps the most skilled labor. Simple jugs required two molds for the body and handle while more complex pieces required a separate mold for each body piece. The soft blend of brilliant colors is the result of adding metal oxides to lead sulfides and firing at very high temperatures.
The commercial success of Minton’s majolica in the 19th century encouraged others and fueled the production of a prolific variety of forms and color schemes. The English factories of Wedgwood, George Jones, Joseph Holdcroft and W. T. Copeland, among others, created cachepots, umbrella stands, urns and vases in brilliant tones for the gardens and conservatories of the expanding middle classes. In addition, the majolica styles lent themselves to the creation of a host of useful tablewares such as cheese bells, oyster plates, strawberry and tea services. The American Griffin, Smith & Company (Etruscan) pottery in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, along with firms in France, Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Portugal, supplied majolica to the ever-demanding public.
The first Wedgwood majolica, made about 1860, was dessert ware. Wedgwood made it by covering a white earthenware body, molded with relief ornament, with colored glazes from mixtures of green, brown and yellow or blue, yellow and brown transparent glazed. The largest piece of Wedgwood Majolica known to date is a “Swan” vase which stood 54″ high including a 16″ plinth and displayed at Harrods in London in 1973. Compare this to the 36′. high Majolica fountain built (out of many pieces) by Minton in 1862.
The passion for majolica lasted until the beginning of the 20th century when its appeal was cooled by the evolving styles of the Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau movements.
During the 1980′s, three museum exhibitions ignited collector interest, which presently is once again at a fever pitch. The most comprehensive volume on the subject is Majolica: A Complete History and Illustrated Survey by Marilyn G. Karmason with Joan B. Stacke, published by Harry N. Abrams. It’s very readable and filled with excellent photographs.
Reference note by p4A.com Contributing Editor Bob Goldberg.