Ewer thumbnail 1
Ewer thumbnail 2
+7
images
On display
Image of Gallery in South Kensington

Ewer

1858 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Object Type
This jug was made entirely for show. Renaissance Revival forms and decoration suggested that the owner was a person of education and taste, and this jug, an example of Minton's advanced technology, would impress guests as evidence of superior understanding. Renaissance Revival design was increasingly popular during the mid-19th century, not least as a result of the teaching in design schools, headed by the one at South Kensington. This jug, which was made with a matching stand, was modelled directly on a French example also in the Museum's collections.

Design & Designing
Under the art director Léon Arnoux (1816-1902) the Minton company was interested in design and ceramic technology of many periods and cultures. In the late 18th century and the 19th, French Renaissance wares became increasingly popular among collectors and museums in France and Britain. The greatest name in French Renaissance ceramics was that of Bernard Palissy (1509/1510-about 1590), among whose many technological advances was the making of modelled wares, covered with lead glazes, richly coloured with metal oxides.After they had been introduced in about 1849, Arnoux first exhibited wares in this technique in 1851, calling them 'Minton's Palissy-wares'. Gradually they became known, inaccurately but universally, as Majolica ware, an anglicisation of the Italian term maiolica, which described the very different tin-glazed, painted earthenwares.

Time
First known as 'Palissy-ware', Minton's majolica ware was launched at the Great Exhibition in London in 1851 and then shown in Paris in 1855, when it created 'the greatest sensation among Parisian connoisseurs'. There the company won a Grand Medal of Honour.

Materials
Minton's Majolica ware is made of inexpensive earthenware that could be cast into extravagant shapes using conventional technology, coloured by relatively unskilled painters, fired only twice and mass-produced while retaining an individual and artistic appearance. It was one of the most popular of Victorian ceramic types.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 2 parts.

  • Ewer
  • Stand
Materials and techniques
Earthenware with majolica glazes
Brief description
Ewer and stand of glazed earthenware, modelled by Hamlet Bourne, Minton & Co., Stoke-on-Trent, 1858
Physical description
Ewer and stand of glazed earthenware.
DimensionsDimensions checked: Measured in centimeters 07/07/1999 and in 2012 by T. Bloxham Ewer: max. height=28.7; max. width=23.8; max. depth=16.5; weight=1.24 kg Stand: Length 30.3; Width 25.3; height 7.8; weight 1.02 kg
Marks and inscriptions
  • 'Minton & Co. P6 d' (impressed)
  • '1858' (year mark, impressed)
Gallery label
  • British Galleries: MINTON JUG based on a 16th-century model
    The designers and decorators of pottery and porcelain for the firm of Minton & Co. used collections in private houses and museums extensively as a source of inspiration. Minton were inspired by the V&A's collections to recreate many of their historic styles and techniques. The Minton jug is modelled directly after the Palissy jug shown next to it, which was displayed at Marlborough House from 1856.(27/03/2003)
  • Ewer and stand ''Palissy Ware'' Designed by Hamlet Bourne, made by Minton, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, 1858 Mark: 'Minton & Co. P6 d' and year mark for 1858, impressed. Earthenware, lead-glazed 4730&A-1859(23/05/2008)
Object history
Modelled by Hamlet Bourne; made by Minton & Co., Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire

Modelled after a Palissy jug in the Soulages collection
Subject depicted
Summary
Object Type
This jug was made entirely for show. Renaissance Revival forms and decoration suggested that the owner was a person of education and taste, and this jug, an example of Minton's advanced technology, would impress guests as evidence of superior understanding. Renaissance Revival design was increasingly popular during the mid-19th century, not least as a result of the teaching in design schools, headed by the one at South Kensington. This jug, which was made with a matching stand, was modelled directly on a French example also in the Museum's collections.

Design & Designing
Under the art director Léon Arnoux (1816-1902) the Minton company was interested in design and ceramic technology of many periods and cultures. In the late 18th century and the 19th, French Renaissance wares became increasingly popular among collectors and museums in France and Britain. The greatest name in French Renaissance ceramics was that of Bernard Palissy (1509/1510-about 1590), among whose many technological advances was the making of modelled wares, covered with lead glazes, richly coloured with metal oxides.After they had been introduced in about 1849, Arnoux first exhibited wares in this technique in 1851, calling them 'Minton's Palissy-wares'. Gradually they became known, inaccurately but universally, as Majolica ware, an anglicisation of the Italian term maiolica, which described the very different tin-glazed, painted earthenwares.

Time
First known as 'Palissy-ware', Minton's majolica ware was launched at the Great Exhibition in London in 1851 and then shown in Paris in 1855, when it created 'the greatest sensation among Parisian connoisseurs'. There the company won a Grand Medal of Honour.

Materials
Minton's Majolica ware is made of inexpensive earthenware that could be cast into extravagant shapes using conventional technology, coloured by relatively unskilled painters, fired only twice and mass-produced while retaining an individual and artistic appearance. It was one of the most popular of Victorian ceramic types.
Bibliographic reference
Bryant, Julius. Art and Design for all: The Victoria and Albert Museum . London: V&A publishing, 2011. p 183. ISBN 978 1 85177 666 5
Collection
Accession number
4730&A-1859

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Record createdJuly 1, 1999
Record URL
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