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Finer Things
Minton Ceramics: Minton Vases Can Become Lamps
By Maurice Robertson
In 1793, Thomas Minton, now a master potter having just finished his apprenticeship with Josiah Spode as a copper plate engraver, opened his small Staffordshire pottery at Stoke-on Trent, the very heart of the English ceramic industry. This small beginning was to grow into a major ceramic manufacturing company with an international reputation.
Everyone knows of the famous "Willow" pattern, but did you know that Thomas Minton is regarded as the one who first engraved this well known print! Minton is said to
have been inspired on hearing the old Chinese legend of the rich Mandarin's young daughter eloping with his secretary. As the pattern shows, the young lovers are pursued by the enraged father, however, the goddess of mercy, seeing the drama, turns the fleeing couple into swallows who fly away together.
Thomas Minton's son, Herbert, (1793-1858), succeeded his father as head of the firm and to him was due its development and reputation as a leader of porcelain production.
In the 1820's he started production of bone china. This early Minton is regarded as comparable to French Sèvres, by which it was greatly influenced.
An example of adapting vases are an extremely rare pair of 19th century, English Minton vases as table lamps. The lamps imitate the design of oriental water jars.
The lamps glazed in an even pale celadon with molded and applied white porcelain "rope". The necks of the lamps with a continuous band of open cut-work in the style of traditional Chinese window screens, the lamp necks designed to allow the celadon glazed porcelain to be viewed through the screens! The lamps skillfully modeled to appear as if tied in white knotted rope. The bases of the lamps with a continuous band of scrolling cut-work, with evenly spaced round headed pegs as ties for the rope. The lamps with gilded, turned, solid bronze bases and caps.
The shape was exhibited by Minton at the 1862 London International Exhibition where they were described as "a pair of vases, glazed celadon ground, rope festoons in white, perforated neck and perforated foot".
The vase shape was registered in 1863 as "in the Chinese style". Other Minton vases can be adapted into lamps as well.