One of the specialty areas of collecting is majolica face pitchers. The majority of these were produced on the European continent with Sarreguemines, the French/German pottery, specializing in their production.
The following is a brief excerpt on commemorative face pitchers by Sarreguemines from Helen Cunningham’s comprehensive book on the subject Majolica Figures as reprinted by The Majolica International Society’s quarterly newsletter, Majolica Matters.
This article excerpt has been lightly edited for clarity and content. It has also been formatted and illustrated for web presentation.
Majolica Figures by Helen Cunningham
As one of the leading producers of majolica in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the French factory of Sarreguemines widely exported its production.
Besides orders for items of regular production, the factory also received special orders for commemorative pieces from countries such as England, Russia, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and even countries in South America. Some orders requested majolica character jugs in an exact likeness of an important historical figure. What a unique way of paying homage! Lifelike images of royalty, dignitaries, war heroes, and presidents would be instantly recognizable by citizens of the respective countries.
Bartolomé Mitre
One such special order arrived at Sarreguemines from Argentina. The order consisted of a character jug to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of a very important president of Argentina: Bartolome Mitre. Born in 1821, Mitre was president of Argentina from 1862-1868. Although Argentina had declared itself independent of Spain in 1810, the country was far from unified. Conflicts arose between centralized government represented by Buenos Aires and the provinces.
Problems with the neighboring countries of Bolivia and Brazil distracted the citizens from domestic issues and Juan Manuel de Rosas was able to establish a dictatorship in 1835. Because of disputes with Rosas, Britain blockaded Montevideo [Uruguay’s capital] from 1845-1847.
After Rosas was defeated, a provisional government under [Justo José de] Urquiza tried to unify the country. However, Buenos Aires declared that it was the true Argentina. Bartolomé Mitre led the forces of Buenos Aires against Urquiza, but lost.
In 1861 fighting began again and this time Mitre was successful. He established the national administration in Buenos Aires. Besides unifying the country and establishing the capital in Buenos Aires, this president is remembered for the construction of railroads. Mitre died in 1906.
Additional Commemorative Pitchers
Other historical figures honored in majolica include Paul Kruger, Joseph Chamberlain, General Ferdinand Foch, Emperor Francis Joseph of Austria, Dranem, and Prime Minister Michelsen of Norway.
For history buffs, these character jugs make an interesting collection. However, they are often difficult to find since they were made only for export to particular countries. Perhaps the quest tantalizes all of us chasing majolica pieces to add to our collection. The harder to find, the more intriguing the quest!
Helen Cunningham’s book on the subject, Majolica Figures can by purchased online at Amazon or through other book dealers.
