Lotus Ware
Encyclopedia
Lotus Ware is a type of porcelain
produced from approximately 1892 to 1896 at the Knowles, Taylor & Knowles (KT&K) pottery of East Liverpool
, Ohio
, United States
. The name originated from the idea of the owner, Isaac Knowles, that the glaze of the pieces resembled the glowing sheen of lotus blossom petals.
By 1880, KT&K was the largest pottery in East Liverpool. The KT&K management was also forward-thinking in establishing an in-house design-and-decoration shop instead of using outside designers.{dubious}
KT&K had, by 1888, constructed another plant with eight kilns as well as purchasing another pottery. The company also constructed a separate plant exclusively for the production of bone china
. Invented in England in the US bone china had previously only been made in Trenton
, New Jersey
. Before KT&K's efforts another East Liverpool potter John Burgess and his son-in-law, Willis Cunning, had briefly attempted to produce bone china but their operation had been shuttered by East Liverpool City Council, which declared that the odor of calcination of bones to be a health hazard.
The porcelain plant was KT&K's entry into serious competition with European manufacturers. After just a year and a half of operation KT&K's porcelain plant burned down tn November 1889. The plant was soon rebuilt Lotus Ware appeared on the market again from 1892.
The other man responsible for Lotus Ware was a German immigrant named Heinrich Schmidt. Schmidt was a decorator, or "fancy worker" in late 19th-century pottery slang. He had previously worked at the famous Meissen
factory in Germany. At KT&K he was responsible for preparing the Lotus Ware slip
. By not writing down the formulation and only memorising it he kept its formulation secret. It was Schmidt who demanded that KT&K sell no imperfect Lotus Ware.
Lotus Ware was first exhibited at the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago.
Moorish and Persian influences were also evident, including ornate arched shapes, stylized swirls, and an excess of minute detail such as netting, fish-scale patterning, and tiny enamel
-like dots which appear like inset jewels on the ware's surface.
. He then constructed plaster of Paris molds on which the designs were worked out and allowed to dry. These were then gently removed from the molds, attached to the main body of the ware with fresh slip before further painted decoration, glazing and firing took place.
Lotus Ware was produced in just three colors: pure white, celadon
and a deep shade of olive green. In addition to the three-dimensional hand-applied decoration, many pieces were hand-painted. All Lotus Ware pieces bore classical names such as Syrian, Thebian and Grecian. This appears to have been an attempt to promote an image of classic, high-quality ware.
It is estimated that only about 5,000 pieces of Lotus Ware survive. East Liverpool's Museum of Ceramics has the largest public display of Lotus Ware in the world.
Porcelain
Porcelain is a ceramic material made by heating raw materials, generally including clay in the form of kaolin, in a kiln to temperatures between and...
produced from approximately 1892 to 1896 at the Knowles, Taylor & Knowles (KT&K) pottery of East Liverpool
East Liverpool, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 13,089 people, 5,261 households, and 3,424 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,010.3 people per square mile . There were 5,743 housing units at an average density of 1,320.8 per square mile...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The name originated from the idea of the owner, Isaac Knowles, that the glaze of the pieces resembled the glowing sheen of lotus blossom petals.
Knowles, Taylor & Knowles
Isaac Knowles was an East Liverpool potter whose pottery produced Rockingham pottery, yellow Queen's ware and ceramic canning jars. East Liverpool was a major pottery centre in the US; by the late 19th century factories in the city produced nearly half of all American domestic and hotel ware.By 1880, KT&K was the largest pottery in East Liverpool. The KT&K management was also forward-thinking in establishing an in-house design-and-decoration shop instead of using outside designers.{dubious}
KT&K had, by 1888, constructed another plant with eight kilns as well as purchasing another pottery. The company also constructed a separate plant exclusively for the production of bone china
Bone china
Bone china is a type of soft-paste porcelain that is composed of bone ash, feldspathic material and kaolin. It has been defined as ware with a translucent body containing a minimum of 30% of phosphate derived from animal bone and calculated calcium phosphate...
. Invented in England in the US bone china had previously only been made in Trenton
Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton is the capital of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Trenton had a population of 84,913...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. Before KT&K's efforts another East Liverpool potter John Burgess and his son-in-law, Willis Cunning, had briefly attempted to produce bone china but their operation had been shuttered by East Liverpool City Council, which declared that the odor of calcination of bones to be a health hazard.
The porcelain plant was KT&K's entry into serious competition with European manufacturers. After just a year and a half of operation KT&K's porcelain plant burned down tn November 1889. The plant was soon rebuilt Lotus Ware appeared on the market again from 1892.
Lotus Ware
The responsibility for Lotus Ware was mainly shared by two men. An Englishman named Joshua Poole had arrived in East Liverpool after having worked for the Belleek pottery in western Ireland. Isaac Knowles was interested in making beautiful art porcelain. Joshua Poole's training as a ceramic engineer was a considerable aid to Knowles' search for the ideal blend of beauty and strength. Poole was therefore was in charge of formulating the clay bodies.The other man responsible for Lotus Ware was a German immigrant named Heinrich Schmidt. Schmidt was a decorator, or "fancy worker" in late 19th-century pottery slang. He had previously worked at the famous Meissen
Meissen
Meissen is a town of approximately 30,000 about northwest of Dresden on both banks of the Elbe river in the Free State of Saxony, in eastern Germany. Meissen is the home of Meissen porcelain, the Albrechtsburg castle, the Gothic Meissen Cathedral and the Meissen Frauenkirche...
factory in Germany. At KT&K he was responsible for preparing the Lotus Ware slip
Slip (ceramics)
A slip is a suspension in water of clay and/or other materials used in the production of ceramic ware. Deflocculant, such as sodium silicate, can be added to the slip to disperse the raw material particles...
. By not writing down the formulation and only memorising it he kept its formulation secret. It was Schmidt who demanded that KT&K sell no imperfect Lotus Ware.
Lotus Ware was first exhibited at the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago.
Stylistic Influences
The idealized depiction of the natural world common to the then fashionable Art Nouveau style was a signifciant influence: the twining tendrils, leaves, blossoms, shells and coral branches were formed and applied mainly by hand, but occasionally the difficult pâté-sur-pâté ("paste upon paste") technique was employed.Moorish and Persian influences were also evident, including ornate arched shapes, stylized swirls, and an excess of minute detail such as netting, fish-scale patterning, and tiny enamel
Vitreous enamel
Vitreous enamel, also porcelain enamel in U.S. English, is a material made by fusing powdered glass to a substrate by firing, usually between 750 and 850 °C...
-like dots which appear like inset jewels on the ware's surface.
Technique
Schmidt used a technique called tube-lining. In this a thick slip is applied via a pastry bagPastry bag
A pastry bag is an often cone- or triangular-shaped, hand-held bag made from cloth, paper, or plastic that is used to pipe semi-solid foods by pressing them through a narrow opening at one end, for many purposes including cake decoration...
. He then constructed plaster of Paris molds on which the designs were worked out and allowed to dry. These were then gently removed from the molds, attached to the main body of the ware with fresh slip before further painted decoration, glazing and firing took place.
Lotus Ware was produced in just three colors: pure white, celadon
Celadon
Celadon is a term for ceramics denoting both a type of glaze and a ware of a specific color, also called celadon. This type of ware was invented in ancient China, such as in the Zhejiang province...
and a deep shade of olive green. In addition to the three-dimensional hand-applied decoration, many pieces were hand-painted. All Lotus Ware pieces bore classical names such as Syrian, Thebian and Grecian. This appears to have been an attempt to promote an image of classic, high-quality ware.
Financial Losses and the End of Lotus Ware
The production losses of Lotus Ware were very high, estimated as high as 90% despite the heavy financial losses incurred by its high manufacturing losses KT&K continued to produce Lotus Ware until 1896.It is estimated that only about 5,000 pieces of Lotus Ware survive. East Liverpool's Museum of Ceramics has the largest public display of Lotus Ware in the world.