The Portland daily press., 1877-04-18

tua'tioIu OouranC'
Women in Ceramics.
How the Young Man from Boston was
Crushed.

1 met youth from Boston few days ago.
We conversed upon art, religion, literature,
science and kindred topics. At length we
touched upon Ceramics 1 modestly observed
that was interested in the subject, and that
possessed small, but growing collection of
pottery and porcelain; The youth from Boston
smiled. "Ab, well,'' he said patronizingly, sit
| is harmless, ladylke task, but do you know
with an air or charming frankness) II have
never yet seen the woman who could distin-
guish Seyres from Staffordshire, Delft from
DRESDEN
Now am person of calm and equsble tenn
permanent, rarely reused to wrath; and after a
moments panse l answered mildly, "Sir, you
know not OF what you speak. Let us first
glance at noted china-collectorS of different
clmes and periods. How many of these were
women? Queen Elizabeth is said to have been
| the very first collector of China in England
and the first pieces of Oriental porcelain ever
bIought to that country were in her possession,
| having been presented to her majesty by Cav
| endish the celebrated traveller. Lord Theo-
| dore Burghley also gave to the queen as new
| year gift 15S7-S porringer "of white porselyn"
decorated with gold; and Mr.. Robert Cecil Of
fered at the same time "a cup of creme Porse-
lyme
Qaeen Mary, consort of William I'LL, had a
vast collection of China at Hampton Court.
The first collection of Oriental porcelain in
England was made by Queen Charlotte. In the
| find the names of Lady Germaine, the Duchess
| of Portland, Lady Webster, and Mrs, Elizabeth
| Carter. Later collectors are the Hon. Mrs.
| Howe, who devoted herself principally to tea
| pots. bequeathing three hundred specimens to
| her daughter Lady Charlotte Schneider who
possesses rare maiolica, priceless Bow, Chelsea
| and Derby; the Countess of HUpetowD, Lady
| Crewe, Lady Stafford, Miss Burdett Coutts, and
| host OF others.
| Women have from early days been the pat
l nd Of (,ara oia ri
| inc de Medici took Bernard Palssy under her
| protection, established him at Paris, when driv-
| en- by persecution from Saintes, gave him site
| for his workshop on the grounds now occupied
| by the gardens.of the Tulleries, and often WIS.,
| tied him at his work. Maria Theresa was the
| patron of the Vienna mandatory, and ex-
| pended large sums upon its improvement.
| Madame de Pompadour took an eager intsr-
| est in Ceramics, and first suggested to the
| king. Louis XIV, the policy of establishing
porcelain manufacture in France, in order to
| save the large sums which left the kingdom for
| the purchase of Saxon ware. Consequently we
| owe the exquisite porcelain of Sevres princi-
| pally to her influence. The Empress Elizabeth
OF Russia, purchased and carried on svme por-
| celain works near St Petersburg. Queen Char
| lotte was the patron of WedgewOod, ordered
from him complete table service, appointed
| him her own potter, and desired that MS
| cream ware" should henceforth be known as
| Queens ware"
| And now let me allude briefly to those wo-
| men who have themselves been engaged in the
| manufacture of pottery aud porcelain. AS
early as the Sung dynasty (69O-1126l there
| lived in China, female potter, called the
| s'fair Chow, she was the daughter of the
"yenerable Chow" and both were noted for
| their "white and violet porcelain The "fair
| Chow especially excelled in gourd-shaped
bottles for flowers which obtained as high
| prices as the vases of the elder Tchang"
| On ancient Roman vases is found the name
of a woman, Tasclla Verticisa, whose work is
| much admired. Margaret Dwig ht-daaghter
of DIR. Dwight, of Fulham, claimed to be tho
inventor of porcelain in England-succeeded
her father in the pottery manufacture. Jsc-
| queline, the unfortunate countess of Hainhault
and Holland, is said to have employed her leis-
ure while in retirement at the Chateau de ley
| lingen, near Rotterdam, in experimenting the
| manufacture of stone pots and other vessels,
| which she Afterwards threw into the moat
about the Chateau. that they might in after