THE MARTIN BROTHERS POTTERY

In 1877 Robert Wallace Martin bought the lease of an old soapworks in Southall to use as a site to make studio pottery. It contained only a cottage, a few sheds and a large redundant boiler and the first requirement was to build a kiln. The construction costs exhausted his funds and so Robert Wallace Martin and his brothers made their first pottery at Southall in one of the sheds.

Opening a pottery at the age of 34 was a considerable achievement for a man from a large working class family and reflects Robert Wallace Martin’s determination to earn an independent living from his art. He had left school at 14 and worked as an errand boy, but his talent had already been recognised, and he soon found work in the studios of sculptors and stone carvers. Enrolment at night classes at the local Lambeth School of Art gave him access to an excellent tuition in sculpture and the facilities to produce original work. He regularly exhibited his pieces and won prizes for them. His London upbringing also exposed him to a range of artistic styles from the medieval gargoyles of the rebuilt Palace of Westminster to the newly imported art of Japan and classical sculpture.

The fashion for hand thrown, decorative ceramics saw the launch of a series of art potteries during the 1870s and Robert Wallace Martin saw an opportunity and began his own venture in 1873. At this point, he rented Pomona House which served as a studio and showroom as well as a family home, but it didn’t have a kiln and so he arranged to fire the pieces at Bailey’s Fulham Pottery. His youngest siblings Walter (14) and Edwin (12) had received some training in ceramics at the Doulton works and he recruited them to join him and assist. Initially, Robert Wallace Martin decorated pottery which had been hand thrown to his instructions by a Bailey’s worker. However, Walter showed enormous commitment to becoming a potter, building several experimental kilns and teaching himself to throw to such a high standard that he exhibited his work in 1874. He also enroled at the Lambeth School of Art and took drawing lessons. By the time the Southall site was bought, he had become extremely skilful and had taken over the throwing of the pottery.

The early Fulham pottery was decorated with two dimensional designs, incised and also carved and pierced. Stylised boughs and birds featured too, reflecting the strong contemporary influence of Japanese design. These wares were well marketed by Robert Wallace Martin and gained some followers and rich patrons who provided the financial backing for the move to Southall. With the upgrade of their operation, a new shop was opened on Brownlow Street and Robert Wallace Martin called on the services of another brother – Charles ­ to leave his job in Reading and manage sales. It was an astute decision as Charles proved to be a highly effective and enthusiastic salesman, building good relationships with clients and an understanding of the work and designs they appreciated.

After a rocky early start, when several unsuccessful kiln firings necessitated even more support from their patrons, the Martin Brothers hit their stride. Walter was now throwing both classical and Japanese shapes, evolving his craft by shaping the lips and feet of pots with his fingers. The classical forms were decorated with intricate Italian Renaissance style patterning while stylised foliage and birds were painted on the Eastern inspired vases. Edwin received training in drawing from the artist H.F. Fawcett in 1879 and is credited with designing wildlife and flora from this point. As the junior brother, he was given a variety of jobs and he etched, coloured and assisted his eldest brother with modelling. He was also allocated the job of producing small pots to aid the successful firing of the kiln and he gained an all­round experience of the process of producing pottery: throwing on the wheel, decorating, glazing and firing.

As the decade progressed, Walter experimented with colours, producing a range of shades never previously used in salt glazed pottery. This mastery led to a more painterly approach. The patterning became freer and motifs became the main focus of the design, while the depiction of flora and wildlife became less stylised and more naturalistic. The semi­rural surroundings of Southall are credited with providing the inspiration for this more observational style.

Robert Wallace Martin’s work changed with the move to Southall. He now left the throwing and the majority of the decoration of the pottery to his brothers, and Edward Willy (a full time employee) began to develop models in ceramic, drawing on his extensive experience of sculpture. He started with realistic models of pottery workers and some plaques. Then, after creating some owl jars in the traditional style, he experimented with the form and quickly produced a range of tobacco jars modelled as birds with distinctively anthropomorphic features. The birds were both whimsical and wry and each was unique. Less benign were the grotesque forms of a series of highly decorative spoon warmers that Robert Wallace then developed. Angry, threatening, and malign features leered from these small, fantastical creatures. In 1885, he added double sided face jars to his repertoire and then created malevolent imp musicians, playing a variety of instruments. Robert Wallace Martin’s singular vision was instantly appreciated, and his pieces sold for premium prices at the Brownlow Street shop.

The 1880s proved to be the financial heyday of the Martin brothers, although their livelihood was always a little precarious due to their habit of carrying out only a couple of firings each year (due to the intricate nature of the work); a largely unsuccessful firing always entailed substantial losses. However, in the following decade, fashions inevitably changed and demand for their wares slumped, although Robert Wallace Martin’s models remained popular. Relations between the brothers became strained as Robert Wallace refused to produce a greater number of birds and instead began to make finely carved chess sets which provided little financial return for the hours worked. After 1900, he devoted much of his energy to planning a fountain for display at the Royal Academy. The younger brothers also resented his refusal to give up sole ownership of the pottery and make them partners and their relationship became increasingly bitter.

After an abortive attempt at using the cheaper form of earthenware, it was Edwin who provided the pottery with a new artistic direction. Encouraged by a new patron – Sydney Greenslade – he developed the smaller pots which had originally been created primarily to fill the kiln. These organic forms with textured decoration reflected the new century’s aesthetic and provided fresh impetus for the pottery. However, Charles and the older patrons had difficulty in understanding this new style, and a large cloud of poisonous gas at the Brownlow Street shop in 1903 led to the destruction of much of their stock and the morale of Charles who faded into eventual insanity.

Encouraged by Greenslade, Edwin and Walter persisted with their new style. The oriental inspired gourd shapes reflected contemporary Art Nouveau design and the decoration became minimal, relying on simple, veined texture and monochromed glaze for its effect. The shelves of the kiln were lowered to fire the more diminutive new forms and Robert Wallace Martin adapted to this change by producing smaller modelled birds in groups, but he was now too old to reinvigorate the pottery. Walter’s unexpected death in 1912 meant the loss of his mastery of colour, but Edwin doggedly continued making pottery, working on despite suffering from mouth cancer which caused his death in 1915. Robert Wallace oversaw two more firings in 1917 and 1920, but production at the pottery had effectively ended at this point. Yet, the brothers’ legacy was never in any doubt. From the time they produced their early studio work, their skill and vision had been appreciated by a dedicated group of collectors and is celebrated again during this centenary exhibition.