COLLECTED WORKS
Minton Pottery ome ceramics manufacturers are renowned for a single, instantly recognisable style; others have a much more varied output. The Minton factory, for example, was a supremely competent all-rounder, capable of producing high quality work in a huge range of different styles. There are avid collectors for all categories of Minton’s pottery, according to Andrew Parker, Ceramics Consultant at Tennants Auctioneers in Leyburn. But their most sought-after wares, he says, are the stunning majolica items they produced in the second half of the 19th century. A glance at the cat-shaped jug illustrated here makes it clear why Minton majolica is so prized. With its exquisite modelling and lush glazes – along with the clever design in which the cat’s tail forms the jug’s handle – it’s no wonder this fantastic feline fetched £2,000 when it went under the hammer at Tennants a year or two ago.
Pitchers at an Exhibition
The Minton story begins in 1793, when the enterprising Joseph Minton set up his own pottery in Stoke-upon-Trent. The firm would go on to become one of Europe’s leading potteries, and it remained a family business until the mid-20th century, when it was absorbed by Royal Doulton. 112 | AUTUMN 2020 | Dales Life
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In the early years Minton made mainly earthenware tableware, but by the mid-1800s they had added encaustic tiles and a variety of sophisticated porcelain goods to their repertoire. At the Great Exhibition of 1851 the company introduced a modernised version of the tin-glazed earthenware pottery of the Italian Renaissance – originally known as ‘maiolica’ but thenceforth styled ‘majolica’. With its vibrant colours, quirky designs and naturalistic modelling, majolica soon became immensely popular and Minton’s innovations were widely imitated.
