Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Ceramics, Room 137, The Curtain Foundation Gallery

Plate

ca. 1877 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

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'.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Earthenware with slip decoration and incised
Brief description
Earthenware covered with a brown slip and painted in colours with floral ornament. Heimberg, Thun, Canton of Berne, Switzerland, about 1877-78.
Physical description
Earthenware decorated with coloured slips and incised.
Dimensions
  • Taken from register diameter: 16 1/2in
Marks and inscriptions
P (with bird) SL (in monogram) (Impressed on the back.)
Translation
P Schoch-Läderach
Gallery label
Plateau covered with a brown slip and painted, sold by Schoch-Läderach, Switzerland (Thoune), about 1878. 712-1878(2010 (TAB))
Credit line
Bought
Object history
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
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'.
Production
Made in the Thun (Thoune) district of Switzerland.
Summary
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'.
Collection
Accession number
712-1878

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
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