19th Century Lustreware

Összefoglaló

Lustre is a form of decoration which can be applied to any form of ceramic body, be it earthenware or porcelain. Its popularity in the nineteenth century was immense and there was a huge export market from Britain to Europe and America. Practically every pottery in the north of England had a go at this new and exciting form of decoration. There have been surprisingly few books on lustreware and most of those that have appeared have suffered from a lack of coloured illustrations, almost an essential for a proper coverage of and understanding of the subject. With this new book the situation is redressed. Of the 300 illustrations some 150 are in colour and large numbers in both categories are of pieces, some extremely rare, that have never been seen in print before. Among these are examples from the vast but little-known Gutman collection in the United States, to which country large quantities of lustreware were exported in the nineteenth century.
The author is one of the foremost authorities on lustreware and has incorporated all the latest research into his text. In some cases this has necessitated a re-thinking of previously held theories, which adds greatly to its interest for collectors. The reader is taken from the beginnings of lustreware in 1805 through its heyday in the first half of that century, with later lustrewares also touched on. The techniques of lustring are described in some detail and there is a comprehensive coverage of the companies and personalities involved in its manufacture.
The Author
Until retirement, Michael Gibson was Managing Editor of a leading book publishing house. He was a keen collector of and delver into the history of lustred ceramics and author of the only two modern books on the subject. He was a member of the Northern Ceramic Society and contributor to their Newsletter. In contrast, he also wrote books on roses and rose history on which he was an internationally recognised authority. He was past President of The Royal National Rose Society and holder of their Dean Hole Medal.