Colonial Homes and Their Furnishings Part 11

It was customary for the Dutch firms to send over to their foreign settlements shapes and designs obtained from European sources, to be reproduced by native hands. The Lowestoft people did what all other merchants had done before them, and through the same channel forwarded to China the designs of coats of arms, English mottoes, and initials that were to be printed upon the porcelain which they had undertaken to supply.

And so the great conflagration of the Lowestoft controversy was furnished with fuel, and there is no knowing where it will end, because conclusive proof is so slight in each case and the partisans so eager and aggressive. Meantime, our grandmother's sprigged china remains a joy and a delight, whether or no we dare to call it genuine Lowestoft.

There is no mystification about Crown Derby, but the old ware, which along with Lowestoft was beloved of the colonists, is as distinctive as any, and fortunate indeed is the individual who can boast of having in his possession a specimen. The works of Derby were established by a French refugee, named Planche, who had been sojourning in Saxony until the death of his father, when he came to Derby in 1745, bringing with him the secret of china manufacture, as he had learned it in Saxony. We have reason to suppose that he made in Derby many china figures of cats, dogs, shepherdesses, Falstaffs, Minervas, and the like, which William Duesbury, who was an expert enameler in London, colored for him.

Unfortunately, none of this early output of the factory was marked, and in consequence it has become sadly confused, not only with the work of Bow and Chelsea, but with that of Lowestoft as well. After 1770, a mark was adopted, and the ware after that date is easily distinguishable.

William Duesbury bought out Planche's interest in the Derby works, though he did not dispense with Planche's services. Keenly artistic, with a taste at once discriminating and appreciative, Duesbury combined a winning personality with his intellectual gifts. He possessed the faculty of securing the services of potters of unusual worth, and throughout his management, which continued until his death in 1796, he maintained in his output a standard of pure English art work of the highest order.

Prominent in the group of potters in his employ stands the name of William Billingsley, who was connected with the factory from 1774 to 1796. At Derby he established his reputation as a painter of exquisite flowers, and his work is characterized by a singularly true perception of intrinsic beauty and decorative value, being original and unhampered by traditional technique. The rose was his favorite flower; he invariably painted the back of a rose in his groups, and his justly famed "Billingsley Roses" are exceedingly soft in their treatment.

Another favorite of his is the double-flowered stock, either yellow or white, and always shaded in gray.

In 1785 Duesbury a.s.sociated with himself his son, the second William Duesbury, and then followed the most successful period of the work, being in reality the Crown Derby epoch _par excellence_. After the death of the elder Duesbury, the second William Duesbury became sole owner of the Derby works, but failing health compelled him to take Michael Kean into the firm as partner. After the death of the younger Duesbury, Kean a.s.sumed control of the whole works, but his mismanagement soon resulted in the sale of the factory to Robert Bloor in 1810.

This marked the commencement of a new dispensation, and after this date the trademark became "Bloor-Derby." For a time things went on in the old way, but soon Bloor, in his eagerness to ama.s.s a fortune, yielded to temptation and began to put on the market ware that had been acc.u.mulating in the storehouse for sixty years, and which Planche and the Duesburys had considered of inferior quality and discarded. This ware he decorated with so-called j.a.pan patterns, to hide defects and, to make a bad matter worse, he used for coloring the flowing under-glaze blue, which was wholly unsuited to the soft glaze of the Delft ware, and was sure to "run" in the glost oven.

The train of ruin was now well laid, and by 1822 Bloor was forced to resort to auction sales in the factory, in order to dispose of his output. The result was an utter loss of reputation for factory and product, and before the manufacture had reached the century mark of its existence, Derby china was relegated to the past.

Many beautiful specimens of Crown Derby were imported to this country, one of the finest being in Mrs. William C. West's collection at Salem, showing the head of Bacchus with grapevine and wreath decoration, the whole beautifully colored.

Expressive of the greatest heights which English pottery reached, is the ware of Wedgwood, and a review of his achievements forms the most interesting chapter in the history of England's ceramic art. Of a family of potters, Josiah Wedgwood early exhibited the traits which later made him so justly famous, and a review of his life from the age of eleven years, when he was put to work in the potworks, as a thrower, until his death in 1795, covering a period of fifty-four years, is a review of the most remarkable story of progressiveness in a chosen profession ever recorded.

During the early days of his pottery making, about five years after his apprenticeship had expired, Wedgwood became a.s.sociated with Thomas Whieldon, a potter who had attained considerable success in the manufacture of combed and agate wares, and the period of their partnership, which ended in 1759, was of benefit to both. One of Wedgwood's first successes was made at this time, in the invention of a green glaze which Whieldon used with excellent effect on his cauliflower ware.

With the expiration of this partnership, Wedgwood returned to Burslem, where he soon purchased an interest in the Ivy Works, where he worked independently, and laid the foundation for many of his future successes.

Among other things he experimented in perfecting the coa.r.s.e cream wares then on the market, and six years after his coming to the Ivy Works he succeeded in producing his first real achievement, "Queen's Ware."

The success of this ware was most p.r.o.nounced, and its popularity caused Wedgwood to realize that a division of labor which would allow him to look after the creative part and supply some one else to care for the commercial side of the undertaking was most important. In 1768, Thomas Bentley was taken on for this purpose, and at the new works, to which Wedgwood had previously removed, and known as the Bell House or Brick House, the new regime went into effect. The popularity of Queen's Ware had netted him enough to allow him to make finer productions, and after the finish of several schemes, in 1769, he removed to the famous factory known as Etruria, where his finest work was accomplished, and at which place he remained until his death.

The several wares he manufactured are as varied as they are beautiful, and, in addition, he possessed the power to reproduce in a remarkable degree. This is best exemplified in his replica of the famous Portland Vase, which is so perfect that it has often deceived even connoisseurs.

An amusing incident is related in connection with one of his reproductions, a Delft piece of a dinner set, which had become broken, and which he fashioned and sent to the owner by a messenger. The messenger started for his destination, which was but a short distance, but he did not appear again for a week. Upon his return, Wedgwood questioned him, and learned that the family was so delighted with the reproduction that they had kept the messenger, feasting him the entire time.

While old Wedgwood in all its forms is appreciated in this country, for some reason or other cream ware and jasper ware are especially favored among American collectors. Fine pieces of both are included in the Rogers collection at Danvers, the jasper piece being an especially fine specimen.

A review of old china would not seem complete without including the l.u.s.ter wares, several excellent examples of which are in American collections. Silver-tinted comes first in point of rarity, though the rose-spotted Sunderland l.u.s.ter is a close second in this respect, and really commands a higher price. Originally, silver l.u.s.ter was a cheap imitation of silver, and first specimens were l.u.s.tered inside as well as out, to further increase the deception. When the ware became common, and the deception was well known, silver l.u.s.ter was used only on the exterior of vessels in decorations, and occasionally in conjunction with gold l.u.s.ter. After 1838, which year marked the introduction of electroplating, silver l.u.s.ter declined in favor, and shortly after the completion of the first half of the nineteenth century ceased to be manufactured. Numberless beautiful articles were made of this ware, including quaint candlesticks, teapots, cream jugs, bowls, salt cellars, and vases.

Copper and gold l.u.s.ter are likewise shown in a variety of attractive forms, and these, unlike silver l.u.s.ter, were never made as shams.

Wedgwood is credited with having first made the copper-and gold-l.u.s.tered wares, but authentic proof of this is lacking. Jugs were often l.u.s.tered with gold and copper, the latter usually characterized by bands of brilliant yellow or colored flowers, sometimes printed and sometimes painted. The gold l.u.s.ter was especially fine, and it is this type, together with copper l.u.s.ter, that is most commonly found. Excellent specimens of gold-l.u.s.tered ware are found in a collection at Lynn, one piece of exceptional interest having been secured at the time of the Civil War by a party of Northern soldiers while devastating a Southern plantation.

CHAPTER XV

OLD GLa.s.s

Of all the old-time wares, gla.s.s, until recently, has been most rarely collected, and in consequence, whereas specimens of silver and pewter are comparatively abundant, examples of gla.s.s are scarce. There are several reasons for this, the princ.i.p.al being its fragility; and then, too, the date of its manufacture is very uncertain. To be sure, the shape and finish of a gla.s.s piece determines in a measure the period of its make, but it is not proof positive, any more than are the traditions handed down in families as to the time of purchase of certain specimens.

Yet, notwithstanding all this, the price of old gla.s.s is constantly increasing, and within the last few years has almost doubled.

The first gla.s.s made was of a coa.r.s.e type, crude in shape, and of greenish coloring, with sand and bubbles showing on its surface, detracting from its finish. Examples of this type are very scarce to-day, bringing prices wholly at variance with their attractiveness. Up to the eighteenth century, all gla.s.s was very expensive, making it prohibitive to all but the wealthy cla.s.ses, but since that time its cost has been greatly reduced, and beautiful specimens, of exquisite design, can now be purchased at prices within the means of almost every one. Of course, these later specimens do not possess the quaintness of old-time pieces, and to the collector they are of no interest whatever. The fad of collecting has brought into favor the old types, and throughout the country the regard for old gla.s.sware is constantly increasing, although it will be some time before it comes into prominence here in the same measure that it has in England.

[Ill.u.s.tration: PLATE LVII.--Venetian and English Decanters; Toddy gla.s.ses, about 1800; English Gla.s.s with Silver Coasters. Very old.]

While the origin of gla.s.s is not definitely certain, yet specimens are in existence which are known to have been made before the coming of Christ, such as the celebrated Portland Vase, a Roman product, now seen in the British Museum. After the decline of gla.s.s making in Rome, the craft was gradually taken up in Venice and Bohemia, the output of the former country ranking among the finest made, and including, among other things, the exquisite Venetian drinking cups, which are unrivaled in beauty.

[Ill.u.s.tration: PLATE LVIII.--Russian Gla.s.s Decanter and Tumblers; Note the exquisite cutting on this Decanter.]

So important was the craft considered in these early times that manufacturers received great attention from the government, were dubbed "Gentlemen," and were looked upon with awe by the common people.

Naturally, great secrecy surrounded the plying of the craft, and this secrecy led to the circulation of mysterious tales. One legend was that the furnace fire created a monster called the salamander, and it was firmly believed that at stated intervals he came out of the furnace, and carried back with him any chance visitor. People who glanced fearfully into the furnace declared that they saw him curled up at one side of his fiery bed, and the absence of any workmen was at once attributed to this monster's having captured him.

The early green gla.s.s of the Rhine and Holland, while made by German-speaking people, cannot be considered as characteristic of German gla.s.s. These people lived on either side of the mountains which gird Bohemia on three sides, and divide that kingdom from Silesia, Saxony, and Bavaria respectively, and the gla.s.s they made was painted in beautiful colors, the finer kind being engraved in the upland countries, where water was abundant. Gilding was also much employed by them, and we learn that in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries this decoration was fixed by a cold process; that is, by simply attaching the gold leaf by means of varnish. This form of decoration was only lasting when applied to the sunken parts of the gla.s.s.

Very little of this gla.s.s was used in the section where it was manufactured, nearly the whole product being exported to Austria, Germany, Italy, the East, and even to America. The industry was popular in Bohemia, for it furnished labor to a part of the population, helping to keep them from want, and it procured for the rich landowners a revenue from the use of their woods.

The factories, which were rudely built, were located in the center of forest tracts, and they produced, in addition to ordinary gla.s.s pieces, articles that were intended to be highly worked or richly engraved, also colored gla.s.s, decorated with gilding and painting. Long experience in the manufacture of colored gla.s.s had made these workmen expert in this branch, and any advice they needed, they obtained from men of information who made their living by seeking out and selling secrets concerning processes and improvements in gla.s.s manufacture. All capital required was advanced by rich lords, who were eager to insure the success of industries established upon their premises.

Gla.s.s cutting and l.u.s.ter making were regarded as special trades, being carried on in huts beside small streams; and engraving, gilding, and painting likewise formed separate branches, all paid by the very lowest wages. Products of all the factories were collected by agents from commercial houses, and by them distributed among the various markets.

Comparison between the Bohemian product and the older gla.s.s upon the market resulted strongly in favor of the former. It was clear, white, light, and of agreeable delicacy to the touch, and no other gla.s.s as purely colorless was made until the modern discovery of flint gla.s.s, made by the use of lead.

Through the invention of one Gasper Lehmann, improved engraving on Bohemian gla.s.s became possible, opening a field for decorative art that hitherto had been undreamed of. With his pupil George Schwanhard, he improved designs, and the world went engraved-gla.s.s mad. Nothing but this type would sell, and as material became scarce, Venetian pieces, already a hundred years old, were brought into requisition and engraved.

At the commencement of the seventeenth century, some of the Bohemian manufacturers were producing vases of various shapes enriched with engraved ornaments, representing scenes, and frequently portraits. Some of the former type are shown in the wonderful collection owned by Mr.

W. J. Mitch.e.l.l at Manchester, Ma.s.sachusetts. With the p.r.o.nounced popularity of the Bohemian engraved vases, artists in other countries began decorating their ware in like fashion, those of France employing interlaced flowers. These were etched on, rather than engraved, however, and cheapened the ware; in other countries the results obtained were no better, all failing to compare with the Bohemian specimens, for the art of engraving here had been learned from long experience by workmen who were experts in their line.

Many Bohemian pieces showed an original decoration in the way of ornamentations in relief on the outside, while the art of cameo incrustation was also first used by Bohemian workers, who sometimes varied it to obtain odd and pleasing effects by engraving through an outer casing of colored gla.s.s into an interior of white, transparent, or enameled gla.s.s. One such specimen, a salt cellar, is shown in the Mitch.e.l.l collection.

[Ill.u.s.tration: PLATE LIX.--English Cut Cla.s.s Decanter, about 1800; Typical Red Bohemian Gla.s.s Decanter; American Gla.s.s Bottle, Jenny Lind, about 1850.]

Ruby coloring was a characteristic of many fine Bohemian pieces, and its acquirement was a source of despair to any number of workers, it being hard to hit on just the right combination to produce the desired shade.

So important did this feature become that we learn of one Kunckel, an artist, being given sixteen hundred ducats by the elector of Brandenburg to a.s.sist in attaining perfection in this shade of coloring. The ware of this type was made in the last half of the seventeenth century, and specimens were the admiration of all beholders.

[Ill.u.s.tration: PLATE LX.--Bohemian Gla.s.s. The center one is rare, showing figure of Peac.o.c.k in Red and White; English Cut Gla.s.s Winegla.s.ses, 1790; English Gla.s.s Decanters. Very fine and rare.]

It is a ware that possesses a strange attraction. No other type of gla.s.s is more a favorite with collectors than this, and no other encourages the amateur to greater endeavor in its pursuit, no matter how discouraging it may be at first. Then, too, no matter how large the collection may be, it is never monotonous, for the various specimens show a great diversity of form and ornamentation.

The collection of Bohemian gla.s.s shown at the Mitch.e.l.l house at Manchester, contains some wonderful examples of the art, including decanters with long and slender stems, odd salt cellars in frames of silver, bonbon dishes, and numerous other pieces, some in the rare ruby coloring, and others in white and gilt.

Other fine pieces are found at the Nichols house on Federal Street, Salem, and in the Atkinson collection, also at Salem, while at Andover, at the old Kittredge house, many rare bits are to be seen. All of these specimens are heirlooms, those in the Kittredge house having been in the family since the home was erected, in the latter part of the eighteenth century.

While examples of all types of gla.s.s are to be found in America, perhaps the most common specimens are of English make, brought to the new country after business had become firmly established, along with the other fine household equipments. Among these are many fine decanters and tumblers of various designs, particularly interesting from the part they shared in the long accepted belief that gla.s.s drinking vessels of every kind, made under certain astronomical influences, would fly to pieces if any poisonous liquid was placed in them; and also that drinking gla.s.ses of colored ware added flavor to wine, and detracted materially from its intoxicating quality. Some of these drinking gla.s.ses, known in England as toddy gla.s.ses, were the forerunners of our present tumblers.

English collections, of course, include much earlier specimens of the ware than do American, for it was not until the latter part of the eighteenth century, when the seaport towns of New England were at the height of their prosperity, that sea captains brought here from England and other ports all kinds of gla.s.s. Some of the finest of this found its way to Salem, and in the Waters house, on Washington Square, are stored some of the rarest of these specimens. These have all been collected by Mr. Fitz Waters, who has devoted years in research of old-time things, and they represent not only the different periods of manufacture, but the output of the different countries as well. Included are many engraved pieces, decanters which cannot be duplicated, and rare and wonderful bits, such as toddy gla.s.ses and numberless other gla.s.ses of varying kinds, many of them beautifully engraved with delicate tracery and the tulip of Holland.

Many beautiful wine gla.s.ses and tumblers can be cla.s.sified by their name, such as the white twist stem, made between 1745 and 1757,--the twisted appearance of the stem being the result of a peculiar process,--the bal.u.s.ter stem, and the air twist stem, some of the latter showing domed feet.

Several of the best types of gla.s.ses are shown in the West collection in Salem. The cutting of the stems of several of these fix the date of manufacture at about 1800, while others of unusual shapes show bird and shield designs, also the wreath and flower. It is by the design more than anything else that the date of manufacture is fixed, determining the choiceness of the piece, and the money it should bring.

While England has furnished most of the pieces shown here to-day, yet in the Northend collection in Salem are several fine Russian specimens.