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Plate

Plate

  • Place of origin:

    Heimberg (made)

  • Date:

    ca. 1877 (made)

  • Artist/Maker:

    Unknown (maker)

  • Materials and Techniques:

    Earthenware with slip decoration and incised

  • Credit Line:

    Bought

  • Museum number:

    712-1878

  • Gallery location:

    Ceramics, Room 137, The Curtain Foundation Gallery, case K2, shelf 1

Heimberg is a village near Thun in the Simmenthal area of the Canton of Berne, Switzerland. The names of some potters are known from 1730 and a recognisable local decorative style had developed by 1775. Typical ground colours used were reddish-brown, light brown, and later chocolate brown and black. Brightly coloured motifs showed up well in contrast. About eighty potteries were by 1850 meeting increased tourist demand for traditional souvenirs. The retailer Schoch-Läderich commissioned five Heimberg potters to produce wares for display at the Paris International Exhibition of 1878. Wares in this distinct art pottery style became known as 'Paris Ware' or 'Paris Majolika' in reference to the 1878 Exhibition. After the Exhibition, potteries throughout the Thun district produced wares in this style, many featuring the pansy and edelweiss and these became known generically as 'Thuner Majolika'.

Physical description

Earthenware decorated with coloured slips and incised.

Place of Origin

Heimberg (made)

Date

ca. 1877 (made)

Artist/maker

Unknown (maker)

Materials and Techniques

Earthenware with slip decoration and incised

Marks and inscriptions

P (with bird) SL (in monogram)
P Schoch-Läderach
Impressed on the back.

Dimensions

Diameter: 16 1/2 in taken from Register

Object history note

Purchased from E. Schoch-Läderach for £3.3s.
Object is marked 'P' and 'SL' in monogram. 'P' with a bird symbol is probably the maker's mark. 'SL' is for the retailer, Schoch-Läderach.

Historical context note

Thun (French, Thone) is a district in the Canton of Berne in Switzerland. Many potteries were operating in this district in the 19th century and continue today. Heimberg is one town in this district. Art pottery made in Heimberg for the 1878 International Exhibition set a trend for such 'Paris wares' in potteries throughout the whole district. Generically pots made in this style became known as 'Thuner Majolika' or 'Thoune pottery'.

Descriptive line

Earthenware covered with a brown slip and painted in colours with floral ornament. Heimberg, Thun, Canton of Berne, Switzerland, about 1877-78.

Labels and date

Plateau covered with a brown slip and painted, sold by Schoch-Läderach, Switzerland (Thoune), about 1878.
712-1878 [2010 (TAB)]

Production Note

Made in the Thun (Thoune) district of Switzerland.

Materials

Earthenware

Techniques

Slip-coated; Incised

Categories

Ceramics; Earthenware; Slipware

Collection

Ceramics Collection

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