The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-07-14

dishes" Ben Jonson several times refers 20
porcelain. as when he makes some one say.
It's but earth III TO make bricks and tiles Of
to which another answers. II twould but keep
US now in good tobacco pipes. or in porcelain
dishes" Dryden has several illusions 10 the
dainty imported wares which in his day were
coming into fashion and Popes line. Mistress
of herself though china fall. is sufficiently
familiar. In earlier poets only the rudest sorts
Of pottery are mentioned. Crock" which is
always understood to mean an earthen vessel.
occurs In Piers Ploughmans Vision and Is
also used by Chauccr and Spencer Perhaps
tho most signal tribute to the superiority Of
clay over metal for drinking vessels is con-
tanned in well-known passage OF Juyenal.
which has been thus translated:
Fool he from pottery cups who lrlnks
Drinks deep nor c'er Of poison thinks
But when The costly wine aud old
9rMhsn Win se@. the gebls,' shine.
The writer tells us a good deal about English
cersmists. Dwight. for instance. aud the Wedg-
woods. Dwight, who patented in 1871 " the mys-
tory Of transparent earthenware. commonly
known 10y the name of Porcelain. China or Per-
sian ware" seems TO have been man Of learn
ing and ability. OF course the stories OF the
Wedgwools and OF Palsy are we'll known. but
the part which women have taken in the devc-
opment Of the potters art is very imperfecty
appreciated. AS early as the Sung dynasty $50
ll2Gl there lived in China female potter called
the fair Chow" she was the daughter OF the
venerable Chow" and both were noted for
their white and violet" porcelain. The fair
Chow especially exceled in gourd-shaped bot
ties for flowers. which obtained rs high
prices MS the vases OF the elder Tchang
On ancicn, Roman vases is found the
If Daaailia .rtf
whose work is much admired Jacgueline. the
unfortunate Countess Of Holland is said to
have employed her leisure in experimenting
tho manufacture % pottery. Margaret Dwight.
daughter of the Dr. Dwight above named. who
claimed TO be- the inventor OF porcelain in Eng
land succeeded her father In the practise of his
mystery" We are told that the beautiful tiles
in the Chapter House Of the Cathedral Of Sara
gossa are the work Of woman and arr in
scribed with her name SO, too. Marion Durand.
widow Of the first Rouen potter OF whom We
have any record. succeeded her husband in the
manufacture Of faycnce. and. in 1864. treated in
her own name with the abbot Of a Norman
monastery for vast quantity II enamellod tiles.
We may add that in list OF Rouen potters in
tho seventeenth and eighteenth centuries one
fourth Of the number are women. In 1851
Mrs. Warburton male improvements in the
cream ware. atterward carried ~ such perfec-
ton by Josiah Wedgwood.
The list Of women more or less distinguished
In some branch Of the ceramic art might be
greatly extended but we can note only n few
more names. 1t IL recorded that FRANCHISE Bla-
teran obtained. in 1898. the privilege OF making
| faycnce in Lyons and carried on the manuiac-
ture SO successfully that her concession was re-
| newed. A widow Perrin made porcelain at
| Marseilles, the Dcmoiselles Deleneur estab-
| lished works for the manufacture Of soft paste
| porcelain at Arras in 1882. In the payments
| made by the executors Of Queen Eleanor. wife
| OF Edward L. Is an entry OF eight shilngs and
| sixpencs paid to Juliana the potter" for three
! hundred pitchers. Ii was a woman who found
ed the porcelain works in the duchy Of Baden.
aud tho maker Of the famous Henri Deux ware
was woman. Helene do Hangest That some
| Of the bost decorators Of porcelain have been
women 10 well known. Angelica kaufman was
employed by the Dresden mandatory. and it
was Mrs. Wilcox who painted the best Hg-
ures and groups Wedgwoods Etruscan ware.
aud who heads the list Of female artists
employed upon the celebrated Russian cream
ware service which exhibited landscapes. chief
| ly Of gentlemens seats. and for which the En-
press CathRrine paid three thousand pounds.
A pleasant chapter Of this book is devoted to
American history as illustrated in pottery 1t
seems TINT examples Of porcelain known 10
have belonged to Americans before the hevolu-
ton are extremely rare. 1t is doubtful whether
Washington. for instance, had ever used porce-
lain until he received two presentation services
from French officers Of the Revolutionary army
which. by the way. were very poor examples Of
the ceramic art There is no evidence that any
American subjects were placed on pottery on
porcelain before tho Revolutionary war. but
some years later the Liverpool makers prepared
Il little crockery for the American market. Moth
ing in ceramic remains would indicate that any
Americans other than Washington and Frank
lin were known in England. with the exception
that Josiah Welgwood made medallion heal
# William franklin. son of the philosopher
who was the last Royalist Governor Of New Jsr
sey. Perhaps. too, a mug bearing a portrait o
the Honorable John Hancock should be re-
ferred to the same epoch. There Is no doub
that decorations were executed TO order a
Canton in the last century and earl
part Of the present century. and 1t i
not uncommon to meet with China porcelain o
that date enamoed with American subjects.
large punch bowl Ia cited having on the bottom
portrait in colors Of an American gentleman
wearing the precious decoration of the Gin
! cinuNt, around him thirteen black rings eaol
containing the name Of State in gold. o.
/ breakfast and tea services oassod ns Lowe
stoit II IL not uncommon 90 SOC the American
eagle and shield in brown touched with gold
( and mug showing the Dresden mark bears
I medallion head of Washington on ono side, nn
t that Of Franklin on the other After the LAT
. war with England the English manufacturer
/ gave more attention TO American themes f.
5 decoration. The fact that the heroes Of til
= American navy and their battles form sue
a frequent subjects perhaps indicates that sailor
0 ordered the wares in English ports. The Englis
n potters seem 10 have been quite willing to use 70
. trade purposes the victories Of their enemies
n and to place on many pieces legends insulting I
. their national pride Not the least Interest