A look at the design, market and legacy of Victorian pottery

Monday, December 21, 2020

2020 Majolica Year in Review

For any number of reasons 2020 will not be remembered fondly by most people. The mass death toll brought on by the COVID-19 virus worldwide, a divisive election in the United States, unprecedented unemployment and poverty and the world on fire in an ecological environmental disaster in progress are but a few of the major events that have plagued us in the past twelve months. But 2020 will also be remembered by the majolica collector’s community for two other smaller events, closer to home: the postponement of the Bard College’s eagerly awaited Majolica Mania exhibition and the death of one of the founders of the Majolica International Society, Joan Stacke Graham. 

Joan Stacke Graham

Mrs. Graham’s passing this past March brought to an end an era in which majolica that had laid in dusty basements of museums and attics for a century, was finally brought to the light of day. Along with Dr. Marilyn Karmason, Joan authored a large, colorful book, MAJOLICA: A Complete History and Illustrated Survey, that made museums and the pottery community take serious notice of this long ignored innovation of the 19th century. She was an eager advocate for majolica’s recognition among pottery groups and museum collections and she tirelessly worked to benefit the collection community in joining the founding of both the MIS and the Karmason Photo Library for the benefit of scholars in the field. Her absence leaves a hole in the hearts of her family, friends and majolica collectors everywhere but their consolation lies in the great work she left and the glorious pottery she helped resurrect from the dust bin. Hers was a life well lived.

The second major upset for collectors in 2020 was in the delay of the long awaited Majolica Mania exhibition jointly sponsored by the Bard Graduate Center and the Walters Museum of Art in Baltimore. Originally scheduled to open in the summer of 2020 in Baltimore the show was postponed by the restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 virus. It is now scheduled to open on September 24, 2021 at the Bard Center then move to the Walter's Art Museum in March 2022. This will be the first comprehensive review of majolica on both sides of the Atlantic in the past 40 years with an advertised group of 350 exhibition examples. It will be accompanied by a liberally illustrated three volume catalog, Majolica Mania: Transatlantic Pottery in England and the United States available for purchase from the Bard Center or from Amazon in January 2021. For an overview of the show go here.

London Victorian home renovation PHOTO:©2020 Elle Decor Magazine

For collectors everywhere the year has provided no change in the lack of interest of our antiques past. As it has for the past several years the adage “if it’s brown it’s down” remains in full force among designers. Fabulous antique furniture beautifully crafted in exotic woods is bringing a tiny fraction of what it sold for fifteen years ago. Antiques older than mid-century modern are being completely ignored by younger people. Decorators who cater to high end clients have no interest in the beautiful things that adorned their parents, grandparents and great-grandparents homes. Glass, metal, and plastic are the current objects of desire with neutral walls, monochrome fittings and austerity all the rage. Of course that leaves no room for majolica with its bright colors and busy design. Once again, after forty years back in fashion, majolica is out of public favor. It's a sad state of affairs for collectors who find their collections worth less than what they were before the 2008 economic crash but all antiques go through cycles so it shouldn't surprise. Like everything tastes change and the old will become new again in time.

Epidemic bankruptcy  PHOTO: ©2020 USA TODAY

With over one and a half million people dead worldwide because of the COVID-19 virus the impact on everyday life has been dramatic. Naturally this has had a serious impact on all aspects of contemporary life. Among these is how it has affected retail sales of all kind. Bankruptcy has been the common denominator between large worldwide conglomerates and neighborhood family run businesses. Needless to say the impact on the antiques community has been equally powerful. Many antiques stores have closed permanently and antique shows cancelled causing great hardship to dealers and sellers. Online sales have increased for auctioneers and retailers savvy enough to make their inventory available to e-buyers. It's been a small light in the darkness of an otherwise dismal retail climate of 2020.

Majolica Collectors Community Group Facebook page

2020 also marked the introduction of the Majolica Collectors Community Group on Facebook where collectors, dealers and novices could come together and post photos and ideas about their shared interest. It's proven to be an excellent sounding board where shared information can enlighten all members interested enough to join.

So wiser and ever more worn we draw the year to an end. The COVID-19 vaccine and a new Presidential administration bring hope for a better new year. Styles change with the wind so the austerity of today's designs may yet change to bring antiques and majolica back into fashion. Retail sales are certain to improve. In any event enthusiasts will "beat boats against the current," in the words of F. Scott Fitzgerald, and continue to joyfully collect the marvelous, gaudy antique pottery we call majolica.

We bid you farewell 2020, and give you the goodbye that you so richly deserve.


Wednesday, December 16, 2020

The Egyptian Revival Movement in Majolica

 

The Victorian period was filled with style “revivals.” Renaissance Revival, Gothic Revival, Jacobean Revival, Romanesque Revival, Rococo Revival and Neoclassic Revival to name a few. All of these had influence on every field of decorative endeavor from architecture to jewelry to paintings to fabrics and furniture. None, however, had more influence on ceramic manufacturers than Egyptian Revival.

Most ceramic companies during the late Victorian age created pieces with Egyptian themes and the influence was broadly shown in Europe. Great Britain ruled the world in the last half of the 19th Century and those who could afford to took advantage of friendly overseas travel to experience other lands. The Grand Tour, where upper middle class adventurers would travel through Europe in search of worldly enlightenment, became a staple of Victorian life. As the British Empire expanded to the Middle East, Africa and India it would increase places of interest for travel. 

The strange fascination with ancient Egypt had roots at the tail end of the 18th Century.

Bonaparte before the Sphinx by Jean-Léon Gérôme

The Vanderbilt family on their Grand Tour in Egypt

Ever since Napoleon invaded Egypt in 1798 and brought back strange and exotic items to Europeans, interest in Egyptomania flourished throughout the continent. After the coronation of Great Britain’s Queen Victoria, the world would have seventy years to wait before the biggest ancient Egyptian discovery would occur—that of the undisturbed tomb of King Tutankhamen—but icons of ancient Egypt like pyramids, scarabs and the sphinx made for fashionable decor in Victorian homes that majolica manufacturers were more than happy to cater to. English potters George Jones and Wedgwood fed this appetite for Egyptian revival material with zeal. 

Wedgwood created a full line of majolica wares with Egyptian silver plate fittings in the 1860s.






They made candlesticks and desksets shaped like Egyptian funerary skiffs, canopic jars and ancient Egyptian sphinxes.

Wedgwood skiff desk set in majolica with griffin head at the prow

Wedgwood majolica Egyptian candlestick


Wedgwood majolica candlestick in green malachite

Wedgwood sphinx candleholder

Egyptian motifs found their way into Wedgwood majolica designs like this Reed jug, cattail jug and this Christopher Dresser jardiniere with flying fish.

Wedgwood majolica Lotus jug

Wedgwood majolica reed syrup

A Christopher Dresser Wedgwood majolica design

George Jones made a stunning sphinx adorned jardiniere, candlesticks and centerpieces in majolica and used Egyptian motifs in other pieces.

George Jones majolica jardiniere

George Jones majolica candlestick

George Jones majolica centre

George Jones lotus jardiniere

George Jones lotus vase

Egyptian inspired Jones orchid moon flasks

Egyptian inspired Jones orchid moon flasks

Jones snake handled pate dish

George Jones majolica garden seat

There is also an entire subset of desert pieces featuring camels.
George Jones majolica camel flower holder

George Jones camel compote

Royal Worcester majolica camel

Holdcroft majolica seated camel

Rörstrand majolica camel & rider

Gusrafsberg majolica camel & rider

Massier majolica camel

Massier majolica camel

Massier majolica camel

WS&S majolica humidor


Anton Tschinkel majolica camel humidor

BWM Arabic figure with camel

In addition to the figural vase of the camel with and Arabic figure shown above, Brown-Westhead Moore created an innovative garden seat with an Egyptian motif and a sphinx garden seat as well. 

Brown-Westhead Moore majolica garden seat

BWM majolica sphinx garden seat

The Copeland Lotus Pitcher remains a standout in the field of Egyptian design.


Wilhelm Schiller & Son created a number of pieces with Egyptian themes.



A Christopher Dresser design

An adaptation of a Wedgwood design

Linthorpe and Ault also made Egyptian pieces based on Christopher Dresser designs

Linthorpe Dresser jardiniere

Ault Dresser jardiniere, also made by Linthorpe

Ault Dresser jardiniere, also made by Linthorpe

Linthorpe Dresser jardiniere

Jules Dressler, Royal Dux and Eichwald of Bohemia all made Egyptian themed majolica.


Dressler jardiniere

Royal Dux card tray
Eichwald majolica cigarette box

Numerous other pieces of Egyptian themed ware can be found as well

Sarreguemines lotus decorated majolica vase


Gerbing & Stephans majolica planter

Gerbing & Stephans majolica ewer

Adams & Bromley in commemoration of the 
erection of Cleopatra's Needle in London in 1877


Thomas Sergent sphinx adorned deskset

Minton moon flask with an Egyptian themed painting

Minton Christopher Dresser triple amphora vase

Minton Hollins majolica Egyptian themed tile

Egyptian revival garden seat

Many, many more pieces were created by Minton, Wedgwood, Schiller and Dressler in non majolica ware which attends to the popularity of the subject. I hope this gives you at least a taste of the profound influence of Egyptian Revival design on Victorian majolica.