Antique Minton Tile Cordial Tray, c. 1890
s
About the Item
- Creator:Minton (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 1.25 in (3.18 cm)Width: 22 in (55.88 cm)Depth: 7.75 in (19.69 cm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:c. 1890
- Condition:
- Seller Location:New Orleans, LA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU8619769320
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.
You May Also Like
Antique 19th Century English Aesthetic Movement Platters and Serveware
Porcelain
Early 20th Century European Jugendstil Platters and Serveware
Chrome
Early 20th Century European Jugendstil Platters and Serveware
Porcelain, Wood
Vintage 1970s French French Provincial Platters and Serveware
Ceramic, Wood
Antique 19th Century Dutch Serving Pieces
Silver
Antique 1850s British Victorian Platters and Serveware
Silver, Sterling Silver
Antique Late 19th Century Edwardian Serving Pieces
Silver Plate
Antique 19th Century English Platters and Serveware
Platinum
Antique 1870s English Victorian Serving Pieces
Majolica
Antique Late 19th Century English Georgian Platters and Serveware
Boxwood, Mahogany, Satinwood
More From This Seller
View AllAntique Late 19th Century English Serving Pieces
Silver Plate
Antique Late 19th Century Dutch Platters and Serveware
Porcelain
Early 20th Century English Platters and Serveware
Silver Plate
Antique 19th Century American Dinner Plates
Porcelain
Early 20th Century French Platters and Serveware
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century American Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver
