| For more information about this article or gallery, please call the gallery phone number listed in the last line of the article, "For more info..." |
November Issue 2004
Mint Museums of Art in Charlotte, NC, Presents Three Exhibitions to Highlight Ceramic Symposium
Delegates to the 2004 Annual Symposium of the American Ceramic Circle will be feted to three exhibitions of American pottery and porcelain from the renowned collections of the Mint Museums, on Nov. 5 & 6, 2004, in Charlotte, NC. Porcelain American Style (on view through June 26, 2005), Pottery American Style (on view through Feb. 20, 2005) and North Carolina Pottery, A Restless Tradition (Oct. 30 through Feb. 27, 2005) are being presented in honor of the 51st annual meeting. In addition, the University of North Carolina Press unveils its publication North Carolina Pottery: The Collection of the Mint Museums, edited by Dr. Barbara Stone Perry, Mint Curator of Decorative Arts.
Porcelain American Style illustrates the first 50 years of American porcelain manufacture with rare and important pieces, ranging in dates from an Eagle Paperweight, 1850, from Charles Cartledge and Company to Adelaide Alsop Robineau's Covered Jar, 1928.
After a number of unsuccessful attempts, Americans
finally began to produce porcelain of a high quality at about
the middle of the nineteenth century. This elusive substance,
pure white, strong and translucent, was the obsession of kings
and princes, and became a substantial part of the economies of
a number of countries. In America, the centers for production
were Greenpoint, NY; Trenton, NJ; Philadelphia; and East Liverpool,
OH. Since America had no porcelain tradition, workers had to be
imported from Europe, mainly England and France. As a result,
American porcelains from the nineteenth century are often European
in style. A pair of Idle Apprentices Jugs on display deftly illustrates
the point. An English version, possibly modeled by John Ellis
of Bristol, is undoubtedly the source for the version by the American
Porcelain Manufacturing Company, c.1854-1857.
Many Staffordshire potters immigrated to America in the mid 19th
century and found ready employment in potteries here where there
was a dearth of skilled clay workers. They brought their patterns
and sometimes even their molds with them. However, the decorative
motifs are usually purely American, and frequently have patriotic
references. Designers and modelers were often itinerant, working
for whatever pottery offered the most lucrative position. Potteries
were relatively unstable businesses, causing workers to seek employment
elsewhere when factory doors closed. As a result, some designs
were produced by more than one company, as designers and modelers
changed jobs, taking not only their skills but also their molds
and ideas with them.
Exhibition highlights include the Century Vase, 1877, modeled
by Karl Müller for Union Porcelain Works of Greenpoint, NY.
This vase, with its bison head handles, portraits of George Washington,
and scenes depicting incidents in American history, extols American
culture and progress during the first one hundred years. The rich,
leafy bower with grapes alludes to the abundance of this land.
The Willets Manufacturing Company ofTrenton, NJ, made extraordinarily
delicate and intricate pieces of Belleek, a light, ultra thin
ivory colored porcelain body with a pearly glaze. Porcelain Basket,
c.1887-1893, is inspired by those made in the Irish Belleek factory.
Thin Belleek porcelain, with its pearly surface, is a particularly
appropriate medium for Nautilus Pitcher, c.1887-1983, in the form
of a nautilus shell. The firm of Ott and Brewer experimented with
colored clay bodies and produced three pairs of these unusual
vases, one each in brown, green, and white. The subjects are probably
figures from the commedia dell'arte. Isaac Broome, the
designer and modeler, signed and dated Pair of Vases, 1877, on
display.
In courting favor with politicians, porcelain was a favored gift
as illustrated by Pitcher, c.1854-1856 from Charles Cartlidge
and Company. The inscription around this exuberant pitcher reads
"To the Governor of the State of New York Presented by the
M & M Union". The M. and M. Union was the Manufacturing
and Mercantile Union and the pitcher was undoubtedly used as a
lobbying device in hopes that the governor would favor the interests
of the union. Another such pitcher was also presented to the State
Assembly.
The lone porcelain piece from the 20th century is Adelaide Alsop
Robineau's Covered Jar, 1928. Robineau was one of America's greatest
artists. Her work is rare, exquisitely made, and has a restrained
elegance.
Pottery American Style highlights how American pottery
production expanded considerably during the nineteenth century
when entrepreneurs brought English and German potters, mold makers,
and decorators to this country to work in the industry. As a result,
American pottery often took on the look of its English or European
counterparts. Forms and glazes often reflect the origins of their
creators. Gradually, American pottery took on its own style and
became a reflection of the time and place in which it was made.
For further information check our NC Institutional
Gallery listings, call the Museum at 704/337-2000 or at (www.mintmuseum.org).
Carolina Arts is published monthly by Shoestring Publishing Company, a subsidiary of PSMG, Inc. Copyright© 2004 by PSMG, Inc., which published Charleston Arts from July 1987 - Dec. 1994 and South Carolina Arts from Jan. 1995 - Dec. 1996. It also publishes Carolina Arts Online, Copyright© 2004 by PSMG, Inc. All rights reserved by PSMG, Inc. or by the authors of articles. Reproduction or use without written permission is strictly prohibited. Carolina Arts is available throughout North & South Carolina.