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2 Antique 1862 Minton International Exhibition Jeweled Turquoise Plates
About the Item
Pair of two Minton plates, circa 1862.
These superb quality Minton plates are from a dessert service shown at the International Exhibition of 1862 in London.
The plates testify to the enduring influence of 18th Century Sèvres on the tastes of Victorian high society. The designs are far from being mere copies, however; while there are recognisable Sèvres elements, they are arranged in entirely new and delightful ways.
On the rim are four imitation cameo heads of classical deities en grisaille on a red-brown ground, within oval reserves wreathed in laurel. The profiles are individually painted; compare, for instance, the winged helmeted heads of Hermes/Mercury and you will spot subtle differences. The cameo devices, used here for the first time by Minton, derive from the celebrated Sèvres dinner and dessert service commissioned in 1777 by Catherine the Great for her lover, Prince Grigory Potemkin. Each dish, bowl, cup and plate of the spectacular tour de force that nearly bankrupted Sèvres featured painted imitation cameos of deities and mythological scenes. In Russia, it is known as the Cameo Service.
The Sèvres cameos too interrupt a band of turquoise-tinted sky blue, the famous Sèvres bleu celeste, but there the resemblance between the two services ends. The Minton panels are embellished not with heavily gilt and tooled acanthus scrolls, but with bright and joyous festoons of enamelled summer flowers and leaves, with a cabochon pendant in the centre and pink ribbons at either end, all framed in a Greek-key chain of raised gold. The wells of the plates have outer bands of tiny gilt scrolls.
In the centre, in place of the crowned monogram of Empress Catherine II, one finds trophy-type circular medallions enclosed in laurel wreaths. Painted en grisaille, on the same red-brown ground, are instruments of war and music. The martial example contains a shield, bow, quiver and two loose arrows. The other roundels show wind instruments, as well as a tambourine, bagpipe, stringed lyre and sheets of music.
The bases of our plates are impressed with MINTON and date codes for March or April of 1862, just before the 1st May opening of the international exhibition in London. There are two further marks of interest, the pattern number, A5325, and the ‘ermine’ mark. The Stoke-on-Trent City Archives, who now own and administer the Minton Archive, have found an entry for the pattern number in the original Minton pattern books. The entry is dated 22nd May 1860 and there is also an artist’s image of the design, showing musical instruments in the centre. The painted ermine mark is an arrowhead and three dots, and is indicative of Minton’s desire to emulate the pâte tendre of Sèvres before it switched to making hard paste.
In his book Minton Pottery & Porcelain of the First Period, Geoffrey Godden said of the ermine mark, ‘It was used to denote a special soft glaze into which the fired enamel colours would partly sink during firing, resulting in the soft mellow appearance of painting found on the highly desired old Sèvres porcelain.
- Creator:Minton (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 1 in (2.54 cm)Diameter: 9.75 in (24.77 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Victorian (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1862
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. wear and distressing commensurate with age and use, one edge chip; light wear to gilding.
- Seller Location:Dayton, OH
- Reference Number:Seller: 333601stDibs: LU5343231425182
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.
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