Pâte-sur-pâte
Encyclopedia
Pâte-sur-pâte is a method of porcelain
decoration in which a relief design is created on an unfired, unglazed body by applying successive layers of white slip
(liquid clay
) with a brush. The effect is somewhat similar to other types of relief decoration such as Jasperware
, but as a mould is not normally used, the artist is able to achieve translucency.
.
They were trying to reproduce a decorative technique from a Chinese vase
, but misinterpreting the vase, the experiment took them along an altogether different path from the Chinese potter. Be it luck or fate they perfected what became universally known as pâte-sur-pâte.
You cannot talk about pâte-sur-pâte without mentioning the name of Marc-Louis Solon
, who perfected the technique and was for most of his working life the leading exponent of the art; his works are today still regarded as the benchmark.
Solon was born in France in 1835 and from an early age developed a considerable talent for art. Some of Solon's work later fell to the attention of the art director
of Sèvres and he was soon after employed as a ceramic
artist and designer.
He was tasked along with H Regnault and Gelly to work upon the pâte-sur-pâte process which was still only at the trial stage.
Left alone to perfect their skills, the artists at Sèvres reached a hitherto unheard of quality in their pottery
. Praising the facilities of the day, Solon commented that "We were never limited as to time and cost",
a luxury in any industry.
Solon also began to produce pieces of pâte-sur-pâte in his own time under the name Miles, said to be based on his initials M L S. There are a number of these in the Victoria and Albert Museum
's collection, as well as in the collection of the former Minton Museum.
The Franco-Prussian War
of 1870 led Solon to flee his native country and seek refuge in England, where he established contact with Colin Minton Campbell of Mintons Ltd, Stoke-on-Trent
.
Mintons had a history of employing foreign artists. Its first Frenchman arrived in 1848, the art director Léon Arnoux, followed by other French artists such as the sculptor Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse
, so Solon was joining a small continental community when he settled in Stoke-on-Trent and married Arnoux's daughter. The Solons brought up a large family at The Villas near the Mintons factory. To meet the demand for pâte-sur-pâte he was assigned English apprentices including Frederick Alfred Rhead
. There ensued a golden age of pâte-sur-pâte in Stoke-on-Trent
stretching into the early years of the 20th century.
design.
With Solon's death in 1913 and the advent of the First World War, an era had ended for pâte-sur-pâte. After the War its popularity declined like other nineteenth-century fashions. However, there was still some demand, and Minton continued to produce pate-sur-pate until the outbreak of the Second World War, when the production of decorated ceramics was severely curtailed. After the Second World War, the firm considered resuming production of pâte-sur-pâte, but with the passing away of Solon's apprentices, the scarcity of suitable artists posed a problem. It was not until 1992 that Minton
used the technique once more in order to mark the firm's bicentenary. The result was a small number of vases, produced to some degree of success, these later vases being reproductions of earlier pieces by Alboin Birks, a gifted apprentice of Solon, who used moulds to speed production and combat costs. Given the deindustrialization
of Stoke-on-Trent in recent years, the 1992 revival of pâte-sur-pâte can be seen as Minton's swansong. The Minton factory has since been demolished, although tableware continues to be produced under the Minton brand-name.
was responsible for some production in the USA at the People's University, University City, Missouri
in the early twentieth century.
Porcelain
Porcelain is a ceramic material made by heating raw materials, generally including clay in the form of kaolin, in a kiln to temperatures between and...
decoration in which a relief design is created on an unfired, unglazed body by applying successive layers of white slip
Slip
- In science and technology :* Slip , an aqueous suspension of minerals, and frequently deflocculant.* Slip , a positional displacement in a sequence of transmitted symbols...
(liquid clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
) with a brush. The effect is somewhat similar to other types of relief decoration such as Jasperware
Jasperware
Jasperware, or jasper ware, is a type of stoneware first developed by Josiah Wedgwood, although some authorities have described it as a type of porcelain...
, but as a mould is not normally used, the artist is able to achieve translucency.
Origin of Pâte-sur-pâte in the nineteenth century
To understand pâte-sur-pâte fully, we need to go back to France in the 1850s, and an accident that occurred at the Manufacture nationale de SèvresManufacture nationale de Sèvres
The manufacture nationale de Sèvres is a Frit porcelain porcelain tendre factory at Sèvres, France. Formerly a royal, then an imperial factory, the facility is now run by the Ministry of Culture.-Brief history:...
.
They were trying to reproduce a decorative technique from a Chinese vase
Vase
The vase is an open container, often used to hold cut flowers. It can be made from a number of materials including ceramics and glass. The vase is often decorated and thus used to extend the beauty of its contents....
, but misinterpreting the vase, the experiment took them along an altogether different path from the Chinese potter. Be it luck or fate they perfected what became universally known as pâte-sur-pâte.
You cannot talk about pâte-sur-pâte without mentioning the name of Marc-Louis Solon
Marc-Louis Solon
Marc-Louis Solon was a French artist who moved to Stoke-on-Trent in 1870. He remained resident in England until his death.He is probably best remembered as a leading exponent of the technique of ceramic decoration called pâte-sur-pâte. His work commanded high prices in the late Victorian period...
, who perfected the technique and was for most of his working life the leading exponent of the art; his works are today still regarded as the benchmark.
Solon was born in France in 1835 and from an early age developed a considerable talent for art. Some of Solon's work later fell to the attention of the art director
Art director
The art director is a person who supervise the creative process of a design.The term 'art director' is a blanket title for a variety of similar job functions in advertising, publishing, film and television, the Internet, and video games....
of Sèvres and he was soon after employed as a ceramic
Ceramic
A ceramic is an inorganic, nonmetallic solid prepared by the action of heat and subsequent cooling. Ceramic materials may have a crystalline or partly crystalline structure, or may be amorphous...
artist and designer.
He was tasked along with H Regnault and Gelly to work upon the pâte-sur-pâte process which was still only at the trial stage.
Left alone to perfect their skills, the artists at Sèvres reached a hitherto unheard of quality in their pottery
Pottery
Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
. Praising the facilities of the day, Solon commented that "We were never limited as to time and cost",
a luxury in any industry.
Solon also began to produce pieces of pâte-sur-pâte in his own time under the name Miles, said to be based on his initials M L S. There are a number of these in the Victoria and Albert Museum
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum , set in the Brompton district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects...
's collection, as well as in the collection of the former Minton Museum.
The Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
of 1870 led Solon to flee his native country and seek refuge in England, where he established contact with Colin Minton Campbell of Mintons Ltd, Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
.
Mintons had a history of employing foreign artists. Its first Frenchman arrived in 1848, the art director Léon Arnoux, followed by other French artists such as the sculptor Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse
Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse
Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse was a French sculptor and painter.- Life :Carrier-Belleuse was a student of David d'Angers and briefly at the École des Beaux-Arts...
, so Solon was joining a small continental community when he settled in Stoke-on-Trent and married Arnoux's daughter. The Solons brought up a large family at The Villas near the Mintons factory. To meet the demand for pâte-sur-pâte he was assigned English apprentices including Frederick Alfred Rhead
Frederick Alfred Rhead
Frederick Alfred Rhead was a potter working in North Staffordshire, England. He is not to be confused with his son Frederick Hurten Rhead who was also a potter, and who worked mainly in the USA. His other children included the pottery designer Charlotte Rhead.Rhead's father, G.W...
. There ensued a golden age of pâte-sur-pâte in Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
stretching into the early years of the 20th century.
Pâte-sur-pâte in the twentieth century
Minton remained the main producer of pate-sur-pate in the twentieth century, despite competition from other firms. However, Minton faced financial problems at the beginning of the twentieth century and pate-sur-pate became less important to the firm's output. After Solon retired, his son Leon Solon was art director at Minton, but his interest was in Art NouveauArt Nouveau
Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...
design.
With Solon's death in 1913 and the advent of the First World War, an era had ended for pâte-sur-pâte. After the War its popularity declined like other nineteenth-century fashions. However, there was still some demand, and Minton continued to produce pate-sur-pate until the outbreak of the Second World War, when the production of decorated ceramics was severely curtailed. After the Second World War, the firm considered resuming production of pâte-sur-pâte, but with the passing away of Solon's apprentices, the scarcity of suitable artists posed a problem. It was not until 1992 that Minton
Minton
Minton's Ltd, was a major ceramics manufacturing company, originated with Thomas Minton the founder of "Thomas Minton and Sons", who established his pottery factory in Stoke-upon-Trent, Staffordshire, England, in 1793, producing earthenware and from 1798 bone china.-History:Minton's early products...
used the technique once more in order to mark the firm's bicentenary. The result was a small number of vases, produced to some degree of success, these later vases being reproductions of earlier pieces by Alboin Birks, a gifted apprentice of Solon, who used moulds to speed production and combat costs. Given the deindustrialization
Deindustrialization
Deindustrialization is a process of social and economic change caused by the removal or reduction of industrial capacity or activity in a country or region, especially heavy industry or manufacturing industry. It is an opposite of industrialization.- Multiple interpretations :There are multiple...
of Stoke-on-Trent in recent years, the 1992 revival of pâte-sur-pâte can be seen as Minton's swansong. The Minton factory has since been demolished, although tableware continues to be produced under the Minton brand-name.
American production
The French potter Taxile DoatTaxile Doat
Taxile Doat was a French potter who is primarily known for his experimentation with high-fired porcelain and stoneware using the pâte-sur-pâte technique. His book on these techniques Grand Feu Ceramics was published in 1905 and helped spread his discoveries internationally...
was responsible for some production in the USA at the People's University, University City, Missouri
University City, Missouri
University City is an inner-ring suburb in St. Louis County, Missouri. The population was 35,371 in 2010 census. The city was shaped by Washington University in St. Louis, whose campus abuts the city to the southeast....
in the early twentieth century.
External links
- Pate Sur Pate artist Dale Bowen website
- Famous Potters of Stoke-on-Trent - Thomas Minton
- Pâte-sur-pâte page at thepotteries.org
- Potteries Museum & Art Gallery Examples of pâte-sur-pâte are to be found in the Potteries Museum & Art GalleryPotteries Museum & Art GalleryThe Potteries Museum & Art Gallery is in Hanley, one of the six towns of Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire. Admission is free.One of the four local authority museums in the City, the other three being Gladstone Pottery Museum, Ford Green Hall and Etruria Industrial Museum, The Potteries Museum & Art...
including items from the former Minton museum. The website has a search facility which allows you to view images of pâte-sur-pâte (if you type in the keyword "Solon").