Set of English Mintons Cups, circa 1929

About the Item

We present you this porcelain set of 11 cups with saucers with the signature of an English manufactory, Mintons. The signature is purple and was used from 1912 to 1950. The additional mark indicates that the items are from 1929. The porcelain is white and smooth. The inner side is yellow, and decorated with a slightly embossed and colorful ornamentation line with floral motifs. There is an unusual reverse adornment that uses the outer ornamenting inside a cup. The set is in very good condition. The porcelain is undamaged. Historical overview: The company began its business operations in 1793 when Thomas Minton (1765-1836) founded a pottery factory, Thomas Minton and Sons in Stoke-upon-Trent in Staffordshire, England, which manufactured ceramic products. Then, around 1796, he founded a company, Minton & Poulson, together with Joseph Poulson, with whom he had been making bone china since about 1798. When Poulson died in 1808, Minton started acting alone, using Poulson’s ceramic to produce porcelain until 1816. Minton teamed up with Michael Hollins in 1845 and founded a company that manufactured roof tiles, Minton, Hollins & Company – the leader on a large, newly developing market. It operated as a supplier of durable decorative finishes for walls and floors in churches, public buildings, large palaces, and simple residential houses. The company was exhibiting widely at fairs around the world. During the Victorian era, in 1849, Minton employed a young French ceramic artist, Léon Arnoux as the artistic director, who remained at the Minton until 1892. That and other projects made it possible for the company to significantly broaden the range of products. One of the first innovations was a very colorful glaze, Palissy ware – nowadays known as the Victorian majolica – which was exhibited at the Great Exhibition in 1851. The family continued to control the business until the middle of the 20th century.

Dimensions:

Height: 2.37 in (6 cm)Width: 5.52 in (14 cm)Depth: 5.52 in (14 cm)

Sold As:

Set of 11

Materials and Techniques:

Porcelain

Place of Origin:

Europe

Period:

1920-1929

Date of Manufacture:

1929