Specimens of the earths, clay, stone, sand, etc., were placed in Josiah Wedgwood’s hands by a Mr. Bradley Blake, a resident at Canton, such as employed at Nankin for porcelain. And Wedgwood produced very excellent examples, but he never manufactured this china ware for commerce, although his nephew, Thomas Brierly, did, in 1808, at Etruria. For himself he was a potter, and it was for beautiful varieties of this ware that the famous Flaxman worked designs for him.
The names of Ridgway and Sons, and Heath, Warburton, Clowes, Hollins, and Daniel, are well known in connection with the New Hall China Works at Shelton. But during a course of many years and many successions of proprietorship, there is little space for lists of names in a brief article.
I may here observe that when the Derby works began to decline, after 1825, many highly efficient workmen joined the factory at Stoke-upon-Trent, founded by Turner and rendered illustrious by Spode. Thus the artistic work of the Staffordshire factory at Stoke was greatly improved.
Up to the year 1798 the Stoke manufactures were chiefly restricted to white ware decorated with blue, like ordinary Nankin. The factory was first established in 1790 by Thomas Minton, who had been an apprentice of Thomas Turner (of Caughley) as an engraver, and had then worked for Spode; and in 1788 he settled at Stoke.
The next year he took Joseph Poulson into partnership—the late manager for Spode—and from the year 1793 to 1800 he continued to be a joint manager and proprietor. He died in 1809, when Thomas Minton carried on the business alone. Mr. Minton’s second son, Herbert, succeeded him. John Boyle was his partner for some years, and was succeeded by Daintry Hollins and Mr. Colin Minton Campbell, his nephews. After his death they owned the business.
Steele, Bancroft and Handcock were Minton’s most distinguished painters, and John Simpson was his chief enamel painter of figures and of all the work of the highest class.
M. Solon-Milès, from Sèvres, began work for him in 1870; and to the latter we owe the application of engobe (white slip) on celadon grounds, toned chocolate, grey, and green, which is known as pâte sur pâte—originally a Chinese invention of some centuries old. Solon’s monogram, or “Solon” or “Miles” are sometimes found on his work. The other three given were Minton’s early marks. The ermine surmounting his name has been employed since the year 1851—painted in colours or in gold or else indented.
Some services were produced in Felspar china, decorated with oriental flowers and birds. They were distinguished by a scroll in violet, enclosing a number in red, and below this the mark, “M. & B. Felspar Porcelain.”
