Minton Porcelain Encrusted Vase, Fruits by Thomas Steel, Rococo Revival, ca 1835

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Minton Porcelain Encrusted Vase, Fruits by Thomas Steel, Rococo Revival, ca 1835

About the Item

This is a superb porcelain vase made by Minton between 1830 and 1835, which was the Rococo Revival period. The vase is encrusted with fruits and flowers, and painted with sublime fruits by the famous painter Thomas Steel. Minton was one of the pioneers of English china production alongside other great potters such as Spode, Davenport, Ridgway, Coalport and others. They were located in Staffordshire and were known specifically for their wonderfully fine white bone china and bright colours; there is a color called "Minton Blue" which is a fresh azure blue that Minton excelled in. Minton supplied huge quantities of tablewares, tiles, and other items to the USA in the 19th century, the White House was traditionally supplied with Minton crockery and many great buildings of this era were tiled with Minton tiles. Thomas Steel (sometimes called Steele) is considered the very best 19th century porcelain painter of fruits. He was born in Staffordshire in 1772 and was first apprenticed by Wedgwood. He moved to Derby in 1815, where he became the foremost flower and fruit painter. In 1825 he moved on to Rockingham, and a few years later to Minton, where he worked the rest of his life. Steel had a very recognisable style of fruit painting, perhaps best described by the biographer John Haslem: "Steele painted both flowers and insects well, but as a painter of fruit on china he had no superior, if, indeed, he had any equal in his day... His grouping is harmonious, the light and shade well managed, each piece of fruit is well rounded, and the outline softened and blended into the one next to it, each partaking of the reflected colour from the other." The shape of this vase was called the "scroll footed jar" and it is a typical early Rococo Revival shape. The handles are graciously shaped with scroll details, and the foot has nice indented scrolls. The colour scheme is pristine white with duck egg green and gilt. The vase is covered with raised porcelain flowers and fruits in bright colours. This, together with the deeply coloured fruit paintings, makes this vase is an abundantly colourful object. The inside of the rim has some beautiful intricate gilding, and there are some tiny stray butterflies on the upper neck and lower belly of the vase. Condition report: It is hard to overstate how rare it is to find a Minton vase without any structural damage or repairs. The vase has been checked with UV lighting and there is not a single sign of restoration; there are only a few minor chips off the flower petals, as visible in the pictures. There is one small scratch to one of the fruit paintings, in the middle of the green apple. The body of the vase is finely crazed, but still pristinely white. Antique British porcelain is never perfect. Kilns were fired on coal in the 1800s, and this meant that china from that period can have some firing specks from flying particles. British makers were also known for their experimentation, and sometimes this resulted in technically imperfect results. Due to the shrinkage in the kiln, items can have small firing lines or develop crazing over time, which should not be seen as damage but as an imperfection of the maker's recipes, probably unknown at the time of making. Items have often been used for many years and can have normal signs of wear, and gilt can have signs of slight disintegration even if never handled. I will reflect any damage, repairs, obvious stress marks, crazing or heavy wear in the item description but some minor scratches, nicks, stains and gilt disintegration can be normal for vintage items and need to be taken into account. There is widespread confusion on the internet about the difference between chips and nicks, or hairlines and cracks. I will reflect any damage as truthfully as I can, i.e. a nick is a tiny bit of damage smaller than 1mm and a chip is something you can easily see with the eye; a glazing line is a break in the glazing only; hairline is extremely tight and/or superficial and not picked up by the finger; and a crack is obvious both to the eye and the finger Dimensions the vase stands 29cm (11.5") high and measures 16.5cm (6.5") between the handles and 10.75cm (4.5") from front to back.

Creator:
Minton (Maker)
Dimensions:
Height: 11.5 in (29.21 cm)Width: 6.5 in (16.51 cm)Depth: 4.75 in (12.07 cm)
Style:
Rococo Revival (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Porcelain,Hand-Painted
Place of Origin:
England
Period:
1830-1839
Date of Manufacture:
1830-1835
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use. In near perfect condition without any restoration; a few very minor chips off the flower petals, body crazed; otherwise perfect.
Seller Location:
London, GB
Reference Number:
Seller: HP-MIN011stDibs: LU4805117730661

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Minton

Pottery is one of the oldest decorative art forms, and Minton is one of its historical masters. For more than 250 years, the English company was a premier producer of porcelain and ceramic wares. Its factory was known for detailed and brightly colored Victorian tableware, including dinner plates and serving pieces.

Thomas Minton founded the Minton factory in 1793 in Stoke-upon-Trent, England. It initially made earthenware but introduced bone china in 1798. When Minton died in 1836, the company passed to his son, Herbert Minton. The younger Minton was a savvy businessman with an eye for design. He introduced glossy majolica earthenware to the factory’s repertoire and hired skilled artists and designers like Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin and Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse, boosting the company’s reputation.

In 1851, Minton debuted its majolica at the Great Exhibition in London. It became a royal family favorite and was even used to tile the Royal Dairy at Windsor Home Park. Minton majolica was also displayed on the monumental Saint George and the dragon fountain at the 1862 London International Exhibition.

Colin Minton Campbell, a nephew of Herbert Minton, took over the family business in 1858. He led the company to the head of the 1870s English art pottery movement. In the 1890s, French porcelain artist Marc-Louis Solon helped modernize Minton with his Art Nouveau designs.

Minton ceased operating as an independent company when it merged with Royal Doulton Tableware Ltd. in 1968. It was the end of an era, but not the end of widespread appreciation for Minton ceramics.

In 1982, the ”English Majolica” exhibition at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum featured 75 Minton pieces. When the Metropolitan Museum of Art reopened its British Galleries in 2020, it included a display of three colorful Minton majolica bird sculptures. Minton pottery was also on display from September 2021 to January 2022, along with other English pottery, at the Bard Graduate Center’s ”Majolica Mania” exhibition.

On 1stDibs, find exquisite Minton serveware, decorative objects, wall decorations and more.