Last week’s 100-tweet milestone is this week followed by another event of note as our #WadsworthsHistoryofMinton round-up reaches its 10th instalment – double figures! The “Minton” manuscript’s short explanation of majolica concludes in the embedded tweets below (including an aside with links to related essays from our In Depth section) and we rejoin the main text to read about Minton’s presence at the international exhibitions of New York and Paris.
“The Minton majolica body was dense & very well fired & so very large pieces could be made, including life size figures like that of the nymph Galatea, which was designed as a conservatory fountain for the Great Exhibition.”[105/] #WadsworthsHistoryofMinton
— The Minton Archive (@MintonArchive) June 3, 2020
The body’s resistance to frost and breakage made items such as pedestals, garden seats, & vases ideal for both indoor & outdoor use; with their richly-coloured glazes reminiscent of Persian pottery they were sometimes referred to as Persian ware.[106/] #WadsworthsHistoryofMinton
— The Minton Archive (@MintonArchive) June 4, 2020
“The coloured opaque majolica glazes were partnered by an equally attractive series of transparent coloured glazes which Arnoux called Palissy glazes, since they were inspired by the work of the 16th century pottery Bernard Palissy.[107/] #WadsworthsHistoryofMinton
— The Minton Archive (@MintonArchive) June 5, 2020
Arnoux designed many ornamental pieces in the Palissy manner but he also used these glazes on classically-shaped vases and on tablewares such as terrines and game pie dishes, sometimes using several glazes together for a rich overall effect.[108/] #WadsworthsHistoryofMinton
— The Minton Archive (@MintonArchive) June 6, 2020
(And now back to the main thread, but not before we mention two majolica-related In Depth articles from our site, Claire Blakey’s Minton Majolica https://t.co/7MjkbXpCVO and Dr. Charlotte Drew’s The Ceramic Staircase https://t.co/GV6S6jnMtE )[109/] #WadsworthsHistoryofMinton
— The Minton Archive (@MintonArchive) June 6, 2020
“The Great Exhibition of 1851 was such as success from every point of view that similar events in other countries quickly followed. The first one was an international exhibition in New York in 1853.”[110/] #WadsworthsHistoryofMinton
— The Minton Archive (@MintonArchive) June 7, 2020
Following the pattern that had been so successful in London majolica pieces again featured largely in Minton’s New York display, while the bone china display included a dessert service similar to the one Queen Victoria had purchased.[111/] #WadsworthsHistoryofMinton
— The Minton Archive (@MintonArchive) June 8, 2020
Herbert Minton also took advantage of the opportunity provided by his visit to the New York exhibition to tour the principle cities of the U.S. and so consolidate the company’s growing trade with America.[112/] #WadsworthsHistoryofMinton
— The Minton Archive (@MintonArchive) June 8, 2020
In 1855 another international exhibition was held in Paris. By now Minton was recognised as one of the leading manufacturers in Europe and, having engaged the best artists available, their display reflected this growing international reputation.[113/] #WadsworthsHistoryofMinton
— The Minton Archive (@MintonArchive) June 9, 2020