Our 16th instalment of @MintonArchive tweets from the “Minton” manuscript continues this week with more on the Kensington Studio (including its sad end) and yet another important invention from Leon Arnoux, the Minton Patent Oven. As we’ve covered this topic before on the blog there are multiple asides back to the appropriate posts as well as a hat-tip to @bottleovens for the fantastically useful and in-depth Potteries Bottle Ovens site. Onward!
W.S. Coleman left the Kensington Studio in 1873 & its initial period of success drew to a close. His successor, a Staffordshire man called Matthew Elden, “was a modeller rather than a painter & perhaps the Studio was not really his place”.[182/] #WadsworthsHistoryofMinton — The Minton Archive (@MintonArchive) July 15, 2020
Another important employee of the Studio, John Eyre, who had been engaged by Colin Minton Campbell in 1872 as a designer, painter, & general foreman for the firings, also left during Elden’s tenure & the standard of work rapidly declined. [183/] #WadsworthsHistoryofMinton — The Minton Archive (@MintonArchive) July 15, 2020
Despite these issues the Studio was showing promise & dealers were beginning to take the work it turned out. Sadly its life would be cut short by a catastrophic fire, caused by an accident in the firing of the kiln, in the summer of 1875. [184/] #WadsworthsHistoryofMinton — The Minton Archive (@MintonArchive) July 16, 2020
“Minton’s Art Pottery Studio was an interesting experiment which deserved a better fate. Like Doulton’s Lambeth Studio, which had a longer life, it forged a new link between industry & art & demonstrated the importance of good design in industry.”[185/] #WadsworthsHistoryofMinton — The Minton Archive (@MintonArchive) July 16, 2020
After the fire at the Studio some of the workers went to Stoke, as did many of the designs & patterns created there (particularly for tiles). These were adapted to more industrial methods & remained in production at the works for many years. [186/] #WadsworthsHistoryofMinton — The Minton Archive (@MintonArchive) July 17, 2020
At the same time the production of majolica, parian, & the firm’s finest Sèvres-inspired china carried on as before. “This duality has always been noticeable in the output of firms which, like Minton, produce wares of the highest quality”. [187/] #WadsworthsHistoryofMinton — The Minton Archive (@MintonArchive) July 17, 2020
Firms would produce ware for the fashions of the day but were also associated with particular styles; more expensive ware tended to be conservative & classic in design whereas cheaper earthenware followed prevailing fashions more closely. [188/] #WadsworthsHistoryofMinton — The Minton Archive (@MintonArchive) July 17, 2020
“In 1863 Minton was granted a patent for an invention which embodied one of the most important technical advances in the pottery industry during the 19th century. This was Minton’s Patent Oven, more often referred to as Minton’s downdraught kiln.”[189/] #WadsworthsHistoryofMinton — The Minton Archive (@MintonArchive) July 18, 2020
“The design of the kiln was the work of Léon Arnoux, who, besides being a brilliant art director and a considerable pottery chemist, was also a qualified engineer.” [190/] #WadsworthsHistoryofMinton — The Minton Archive (@MintonArchive) July 18, 2020
(Very quickly: in its simplest form a bottle oven comprises the iconic-shaped “hovel” – effectively a huge chimney – & a firing chamber situated inside it. Firemouths located around this chamber supply the heat to the interior via flues.) [192/] #WadsworthsHistoryofMinton — The Minton Archive (@MintonArchive) July 19, 2020
(That info should help enough for upcoming tweets but for a proper explanation check out @bottleovens‘s What Is a Bottle Oven https://t.co/o7fQQaQMcK as well as the Don’t Get Confused page for the use of “kiln” vs. “oven” https://t.co/ghvw8cdDoh )[193/] #WadsworthsHistoryofMinton — The Minton Archive (@MintonArchive) July 19, 2020
Arnoux realised that whilst the kilns in common use at the time, known as updraught kilns, produced good results they did so whilst losing a huge amount of heat during firing & thus used an excessive amount of fuel. [194/] #WadsworthsHistoryofMinton — The Minton Archive (@MintonArchive) July 20, 2020
In updraught kilns “flames were drawn under the floor of the kiln into a central flue from which they escaped among the saggars & so passed out at the top of the kiln. [The] ware was fired quite effectively but a great deal of heat was wasted.” [195/] #WadsworthsHistoryofMinton — The Minton Archive (@MintonArchive) July 20, 2020
In Arnoux’s downdraught kiln the heat entered the firing chamber interior as before but instead of exiting at the top of the kiln was deflected downwards, passing through the interior again before exiting through flues in the chamber walls. [196/] #WadsworthsHistoryofMinton — The Minton Archive (@MintonArchive) July 20, 2020
(A little while back we published a 3-part series on the Patent Ovens which link to many digitised items from the collection. Here’s Part 2, “Plans”, for those who love a good technical drawing or two: https://t.co/knsfddBFSt ) [197/] #WadsworthsHistoryofMinton — The Minton Archive (@MintonArchive) July 20, 2020
By conserving the heat & ensuring a more efficient use of coal large savings could be made using the Patent Oven – Arnoux’s record of firings between 1873-1883 show that up to 4000 tons of coal was saved per year in this manner. [198/] #WadsworthsHistoryofMinton — The Minton Archive (@MintonArchive) July 21, 2020
(Another blog-related interjection: here’s “Proof”, the final instalment from our Patent Oven series which features the record mentioned in the previous tweet. 4000 tons might actually be more like 2000 tons, however! https://t.co/OV1UFMjPJr )[199/] #WadsworthsHistoryofMinton — The Minton Archive (@MintonArchive) July 21, 2020