An Outstandingly Rare Pair of Minton Table Lamps

In this month's Lamp Chat, we take a look at Minton porcelain.

In 1793, Thomas Minton, now a master potter having just finished his apprenticeship with Josiah Spode as a copper plate engraver, opened his small Staffordshire pottery at Stoke-on-Trent, the very heart of the English ceramic industry. This small beginning was to grow into a major ceramic manufacturing company with an international reputation.

Everyone knows of the famous "Willow" pattern, but did you know that Thomas Minton is regarded as the one who first engraved this well known print! Minton is said to have been inspired on hearing the old Chinese legend of the rich Mandarin's young daughter eloping with his secretary. As the pattern shows, the young lovers are pursued by the enraged father, however, the goddess of mercy, seeing the drama, turns the fleeing couple into swallows who fly away together.

Thomas Minton's son, Herbert, (1793-1858), suceeded his father as head of the firm and to him was due its development and reputation as a leader of porcelain production. In the 1820's he started production of bone china. This early Minton is regarded as comparable to French Sevres, by which it was greatly influenced.

Our Minton lamps shown were made in 1863 and are typical of the very high standards reached by this time.

B030

A extremely rare pair of 19th century,English Minton vases as table lamps. The lamps imitating the design of oriental water jars. The lamps glazed in an even pale celadon with moulded and applied white porcelain "rope". The necks of the lamps with a continuous band of open cut-work in the style of traditional Chinese window screens, the lamp necks designed to allow the celadon glazed porcelain to be viewed through the screens! The lamps skilfully modelled to appear as if tied in white knotted rope. The bases of the lamps with a continous band of scrolling open cut-work, with evenly spaced round headed pegs as ties for the rope. Due to the available technology of the 19th century, one lamp is slightly shorter than the other. There are also minor differences in the thicknesses of the bases with one having sustained a small chip. The lamps with gilded, turned, solid bronze bases and caps.

This stunning pair of lamps, the quality of which is self evident, are in remarkable condition considering the complexity of the design.

In private correspondence with the UK Wedgwood/Minton museum, this pair of lamps were described as "highly important". The vase shape was registed in 1863 as "in the Chinese style", made in a celadon glazed Parian body and recorded as shape number 944. The shape was exhibited by Minton at the 1862 London International Exhibition where they were described as "a pair of vases, glazed celadon ground, rope festoons in white, perforated neck and perforated foot".

Made in 1863

Overall height (including shades) 25"/63cm