DOI Heft:
Nr. 78 (Septembre 1899)
DOI Artikel:Sparrow, Walter Shaw: William de Morgan and his pottery, 1
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.19232#0255
William De Morgan
dangerous place enough, though sanctioned by
builders and insurance agents whom Mr. De
Morgan had consulted, and whose humiliation was
great, I hope, when in 1871 the house was set on
fire and very much damaged. Discouraged by
this mishap, its victim made up his mind to resist
the fascination of ceramic chemistry, and to devote
all his time to his stained glass. But the attrac-
tions of kiln-firing and the persuasions of some
friends proved too strong for his resolution, and in
the end he took a small house two doors from
Carlyle’s home in Cheyne Row, Chelsea, where a
shed at the end of the garden offered a good site
for a kiln. Here he went on with his experiments,
and success coming to him more rapidly than he
had dared to expect, he soon found it necessary
to remove his little factory to a larger house
situated where the Catholic Church now stands in
Cheyne Row. It was called Orange House, and
close by was the house (though Mr. De Morgan
could never identify it) where Wedgwood and Bendy
are said to have painted the famous Russian dinner
service, with the help of painters from the neigh-
bouring Old Chelsea Pottery in Laurence Street.
While at Orange House Mr. De Morgan not
only perfected his lustre process, but thought out
a new and successful method of painting in Persian
colours under the glaze, and also began to make
large panels by joining
decorated tiles together
with cement. Among the
first of these tile-pictures
was a set done for the
“ Livadia,” the ill-fated
Russian Imperial Yacht.
These panels attracted
the attention of other ship-
builders, for they proved
beyond doubt that glazed
and painted tiles had a
cool, pleasant, refreshing
effect in ship decoration.
The directors of the P. and
O. Company were the first
to recognise this fact and
to turn it to practical ad-
vantage. I have seen some
of the ship decorations
which Mr. De Morgan has
done for P. and O. boats,
and it would be hard to
find better examples of
under-glaze ware. The
only criticism one feels
tempted to make is this:
that the tiles are sometimes
rather too bold in design
for the size of the rooms
where they are placed.
It would be easy and
pleasant to write a great
deal more about this gay
and spirited work in ship
decoration, but it is not
necessary, as a far better
notion of its quality may
be gained by studying the
illustrations than by
224
dangerous place enough, though sanctioned by
builders and insurance agents whom Mr. De
Morgan had consulted, and whose humiliation was
great, I hope, when in 1871 the house was set on
fire and very much damaged. Discouraged by
this mishap, its victim made up his mind to resist
the fascination of ceramic chemistry, and to devote
all his time to his stained glass. But the attrac-
tions of kiln-firing and the persuasions of some
friends proved too strong for his resolution, and in
the end he took a small house two doors from
Carlyle’s home in Cheyne Row, Chelsea, where a
shed at the end of the garden offered a good site
for a kiln. Here he went on with his experiments,
and success coming to him more rapidly than he
had dared to expect, he soon found it necessary
to remove his little factory to a larger house
situated where the Catholic Church now stands in
Cheyne Row. It was called Orange House, and
close by was the house (though Mr. De Morgan
could never identify it) where Wedgwood and Bendy
are said to have painted the famous Russian dinner
service, with the help of painters from the neigh-
bouring Old Chelsea Pottery in Laurence Street.
While at Orange House Mr. De Morgan not
only perfected his lustre process, but thought out
a new and successful method of painting in Persian
colours under the glaze, and also began to make
large panels by joining
decorated tiles together
with cement. Among the
first of these tile-pictures
was a set done for the
“ Livadia,” the ill-fated
Russian Imperial Yacht.
These panels attracted
the attention of other ship-
builders, for they proved
beyond doubt that glazed
and painted tiles had a
cool, pleasant, refreshing
effect in ship decoration.
The directors of the P. and
O. Company were the first
to recognise this fact and
to turn it to practical ad-
vantage. I have seen some
of the ship decorations
which Mr. De Morgan has
done for P. and O. boats,
and it would be hard to
find better examples of
under-glaze ware. The
only criticism one feels
tempted to make is this:
that the tiles are sometimes
rather too bold in design
for the size of the rooms
where they are placed.
It would be easy and
pleasant to write a great
deal more about this gay
and spirited work in ship
decoration, but it is not
necessary, as a far better
notion of its quality may
be gained by studying the
illustrations than by
224