The Industrial Arts in Spain Part 34

Plain boxes.

Boxes with ornaments in relief.

WHITE PORCELAIN.

Plates, cups, etc.

Figures of different kinds.

PAINTED PORCELAIN.

Cups, saucers, plates, etc.

Cream pots.

Plain snuff boxes, or in the shape of a dog.

Fruit stands in relief.

In 1799 we find mention made of partridges modelled by Christoval Mas, and Clemente Aycart much commended for his dogs, ducks, tortoises and frogs.

Joseph Ferrer writes to the Duke of Hijar in the same year, that "he had just seen a bust of D^{n} Jose Delgado, a trifle smaller than the one previously sent of your excellency." These busts and some medallion portraits were made of porcelain _frite_. Ferrer complains in the same letter that Delgado the manager had asked for a fine jug and basin of Sevres, which had been given by the King of France to the late Count, and that he had been obliged to hide it away with some English specimens which were in the warehouse.

Count Aranda died in January, 1798, and was succeeded by his son the Duke of Hijar. Cloostermans died the same year; Vicente Prats is stated to be the best painter and decorator at Alcora at this date. In an extract drawn up of the state of the pottery works in 1798, it appears that 200 workmen were employed, and pottery of every description was made, common earthenware, pipeclays in imitation of the English ones, and porcelain in small quant.i.ties; common wares were made in large quant.i.ties; the pipeclays were p.r.o.nounced superior to the English in brilliancy, but were so porous that they were easily stained, a large number of snuff-boxes and other small objects belong to this period.

In 1800, the Duke of Hijar, who succeeded the Count of Aranda in the management of the manufactory, writes to D^{n} Josef Ferrer, saying: "As I do not know the authors of the pipe-clay porcelain or that of other kinds which is sent here, I beg you to order the master workmen of porcelain and common pottery to engrave, in making it, the initials of their names, as it will enable me to distinguish the good from the bad."

Twelve porcelain baths with the arms of Spain in blue were made at Alcora for Queen Maria Louisa in 1800.

The Duke of Hijar ordered in 1800 that a dinner-service should be made there for his use. He sent instructions that it should be of the same kind as a tea-service previously sent to his son the Duke of Aliaga. The painter chosen to decorate it was Mariano Alvaro, and the designs selected by Ferrer were taken from the Loggie of Raphael.

In the same year some cases of pottery were sent to the Duke; in one of them was a fine soup tureen modelled by Josef Ferrer, Cloostermans' son, Pierre, writes at this time, asking to be appointed to the post left vacant by his father's death; his pet.i.tion however was not granted.

We have already seen that pottery and porcelain continued to be manufactured in the present century at Alcora in the same manner as in the 18th century, but owing to the French invasion of 1808 this industry suffered the consequences of war, and the work done there greatly diminished in excellence and quant.i.ty. Even before this the Director, D^{n} Jose Delgado complains in several doc.u.ments of the bad state of the manufactory, the Directors who replaced him, D^{n} Juan Bautista Cabot and D^{n} Pedro Bezarco, write continually repeating the same thing. After the French were turned out of Spain, the industry was revived and strengthened by fresh artists from the porcelain manufactory of Madrid. D^{n} Luis Poggetti was appointed drawing master there in 1815, and D^{n} Domingo Palmera master of ornamental art, both these artists had worked at Buen Retiro, Poggetti as Director of pietre dure, and Palmera as second-cla.s.s sculptor. After this time the manufactory of pottery at Alcora ceased to produce artistic works, and limited itself to send out common wares for domestic purposes; this system continued until 1858, when the Duke of Hijar sold the manufactory to D^{n} Ramon Girona, who brought over English workmen from Staffordshire in order to improve the wares. Many imitations of the older styles have also been made at Alcora of late years.

One of the most important results of the present study is the necessity of changing the cla.s.sifications of a great number of specimens which have been believed to be manufactured at Moustiers and other localities in France, but which in fact were made at Alcora. It is sufficient to mention the names of Grangel, Cros, Soliva, and Vilar, which one of the best informed writers on Ceramic industry, Baron Davillier, has discovered on different specimens of pottery, and which, in his "Hist.

des faences et porcelaines de Moustiers, etc., Paris, 1863," he considers to be the names of artists who worked in France, although all of them belonged exclusively to Alcora, as will be seen in the subjoined list of artists' names. I am in hopes, also, that many errors may be corrected in future, touching French and English pottery, which was imitated to a great extent, and with much success at Alcora.

We gather also by this information that an immense number of objects were made of pipeclay porcelain, in imitation of English wares; and, in my opinion, a great quant.i.ty of objects of white pipeclay porcelain which have been found of late years in Spain are of Alcora manufacture.

They have been hitherto cla.s.sified by amateurs as Leeds pottery. We find, in papers relating to Alcora, that a decided distinction is made between white and straw-coloured pottery. This indication may be sufficient to distinguish it from English wares.

Townsend, in "A Journey to Spain in the years 1786-1787," London, 1792, p. 255, says: "At Alcora, in the neighbourhood of Valencia, a manufacture of porcelain has been successfully established by Count Aranda, and deserves encouragement. I was much pleased with their imitations of gilding. It is very natural, and the manager informed me that after many years' trial it was found to be durable."

[Ill.u.s.tration: EARTHENWARE PLAQUE, ALCORA WARE. SOUTH KENSINGTON MUSEUM.]

Specimens exist of Alcora ware and porcelain at the South Kensington Museum.

Nos. 1051, 1052-'71. Two fine plaques, painted with mythological subjects of Pomona and Galatea, the borders raised in form of a frame, with scroll ornaments [see woodcut of No. 1052].

No. 341-'76. A porcelain cup and saucer, blue ground, gilt; painted with flowers in white medallions.

No. 333-'76. A plate painted with sprigs, and containing models of fruit in full relief.

A LIST OF THE DIRECTORS AND ARTISTS WHO WERE EMPLOYED IN THE MANUFACTORY OF POTTERY AND PORCELAIN OF ALCORA FROM ITS FOUNDATION, 1726, UNTIL THE BEGINNING OF THE PRESENT CENTURY.

DIRECTORS.

Dr. Joaquin Joseph de Sayas, 1727.

Joseph Ollery, 1727 to 1733.

Manuel de Molina, 1727 to 1735.

Cayetano Allue, 1727 to 1750.

Marcial Guirandeta, 1778 to 1783.

Juan Villalonga, 1789.

Pierre Cloostermans, 1789.

Domingo Abadia, 1789.

Gabriel Berenguer y Cebrian, 1789.

Josef Ferrer, 1799.

Josef Delgado, 1800.

ARTISTS.

Abella, Francisco, 1750, at Alcora.

Alvaro, Cristobal, 1750.

Alvaro, Joseph, paints pottery in 1743, 1750.

Alvaro, Vicente, el mayor, works at the wheel in 1750.

Alvaro, Vicente, painted with Knipfer in 1783; he was sent by Count Aranda in 1784 to Paris to learn the making of porcelain; he returned to Spain in 1789, and continued to work at Alcora.

Alvaro, Tiburcio, painted with Knipfer in 1783.