Design plagiarism was rampant during the production period of Victorian majolica. It’s common knowledge that English potteries copied designs of other English potteries. The English design registration system was designed to prevent this but more often than not it was not successful in abating the process. It’s also well known that American potteries also copied English designs. Outside of the reach of English law, they copied many designs of the larger potteries. What’s less well known however is that continental potteries also copied English majolica designs,
Well known designs by major English manufacturers were frequently stolen by faience potteries in France and Belgium. The coloration was different and the craftsmanship was usually not as good but the designs were often identical or just a tiny bit different. Take a look at these pitchers from Mouzin Lecat et Cie, Nimy followed by their English counterparts. Here are some example.
Nimy Pichet Carpe, copy of a design made by Shorter & Boulton
Shorter & Boulton fish jug
Nimy Pichet Cigognes, a copy of a Samuel Lear registered design
Samuel Lear majolica crane jug
Nimy Pichet Feuilles, a copy of a Minton pitcher
Minton majolica leaves jug
Nimy Pichet Floral, a copy of a Wedgwood design
Wedgwood majolica Chrysanthemum creamer
Nimy Pichet Raisins, a copy of a Brown-Westhead Moores jug
Brown-Westead Moore majolica grape jug
Nimy Pichet Rotins, a copy of a Wedgwood design
Wedgwood majolica St. Louis creamer
Nimy Pichet Tonneau, a copy of a Royal Worcester jug
Royal Worcester majolica creamer
Nimy Pichet Escargot majolica pitcher, a copy of a Fielding design
Majolica Fielding Shell & Net jug
Nimy Pichet Fleuri Dahlias, a copy of a Samuel Lear jug
Samuel Lear majolica Narcissus jug
Jimmy majolica copy of an English design
Majolica jug, copy of a design registered by George Ray
Unattributed English hunting jug Nimy Pichet Personnages, a copy of a Minton design
Minton majolica Selinus wine jug
Nimy Choette pitcher after Shorter & Boulton
Shorter & Boulton majolica cockatoo jug
Nimy Pichet Poisson, a copy of an English design
English majolica fish pitcher
Nimy majolica plateJoseph Roth majolica plate
Nimy majolica jardiniereEnglish majolica jardiniere
Nimy was not the only pottery that copied English designs. The Minton chestnut server was copied by two French potteries.
Minton majolica chestnut server
Luneville majolica chestnut server after Minton
St. Honore majolica chestnut server after Minton
The Swedish potteries Gustavsberg and Rõrstrand copied a number of English designs.
Gustafsberg majolica cat pitcher
Minton majolica cat pitcher
Gustafsberg majolica strawberry and vine plate
Rõrstrand majolica strawberry and vine plate
Wedgwood majolica Strawberry and Vine plate
Gustafsberg majolica vaseForester majolica vase Rõrstrand majolica Christmas charger
Minton majolica Christmas charger
The German pottery Villeroy & Boch copied this well known overlapping leaf plate of Copeland.
Villeroy & Boch leaf plate
Copeland majolica plate
The Russian pottery Kuzniecov copied a Brown-Westhead Moore pitcher as did Nimy.
Kuznetsov majolica, a copy of Brown-Westhead Moore.
Brown-Westhead Moore jug
The Minton game dish was copied by Lonitz with two different variations.
Minton majolica game dish
Lonitz majolica game dish
Lonitz majolica game dish
There are other examples of course, such as Gustafsberg’s copy of Wedgwood’s Water and Wine Evers shown below that I haven’t been able to locate photos of but it’s clear that English majolica proved to be enormously influential in the design of majolica across the globe, but then again why wouldn’t it be? They invented majolica!
